THE country’s beach volleyball team will aim for the gold medal in the 33rd 33rd Southeast Asian Games this December in Thailand, according to Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) Ramon ‘Tats’ Suzara.
‘Gold is what we’re aiming for in Thailand,’ said Suzara in the sides of the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Challenge at the Nuvali Sands Court by Ayala Land in Santa Rosa, Laguna, on Sunday.
‘We have plenty of [SEA Games] bronze and we know it is difficult, but we believe it’s possible,’ said Suzara, also the president of the Asian Volleyball Confederation. ‘I’m hoping they will be able to convert what our athletes learned here in Nuvali to a SEA Games gold medal.’
Thailand and Indonesia are the dominant force in SEA Games beach volleyball with eight gold medals each in the women and men categories, respectively.
The Philippines, on the other hand, has six bronze medals-three in each gender-since the discipline became a medal sport in 2003.
Alas Pilipinas’s beach volleyball head coach, Brazilian Joao ‘Kioday’ Luciano Simao Barbosa, meanwhile, announced the pairs for the SEA Games-Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons and Dij Rodriguez and Sunny Villapando in the women’s and James Buytrago and Ran Abdilla, Ronniel Rosales and Rancel Vergara in the men’s contest.
Each country is allowed two pairs in the Thailand games which start with the opening ceremony on December 9 with beach volleyball serving from December 12 to 19 at the Huamark Sports Complex in Bangkok.
‘We’re working so hard to fight for the gold. All the opponents are strong and we have a few months to prepare,’ Kioday said. ‘Step by step, we’re going to reach for that gold.’
Italy’s Manuel Alfieri and Alex Ranghieri and Australia’s Stefanie Fejes and Jasmine Fleming beat separate foes to clinch bronze medals in in the Beach Volley Pro Tour Challenge on Sunday.
World No. 48 Alfieri and Ranghieri rallied past world No. 28 Christoph Dressler and Philip Waller of Austria, 17-21, 21-18, 15-12, to secure a podium fininish in the men’s division.
Fejes and Fleming, ranked No. 58th pair, recovered from a sluggish opening set to defeat No. 45 Kylie Neuschaeferova and Martina Maixnerova of Czechia, 13-21, 21-15, 15-13, in the women’s division.
The Italians combined for 41 points-highlighted by Alfieri’s 19 kills-against the Aussies’ 37 points
Fejes led the scoring with 19 kills in Australia’s 40 total points while the Czechia had only a combined 35 total points coming from Kylie and Maixnerova.
Earlier on Sunday, crowd favorite twins Joaquin and Javier Bello of Great Britain advanced to the men’s final with a close 11-21, 21-19, 15-11 semifinal win over Italian Manuel Alfieri and Alex Ranghieri.
They faced Spain’s Alejandro Huerta and Adrian Gavira in the final set later in the day.
Huerta and Gavira beat Austrians Christoph Dressler and Philip Waller, 22-20, 18-21, 16-14, in the other semifinal.
In women’s semifinal play, Finland’s Anniina Parkkinen and Valma Prihti relied on blocking to beat Czechia’s Kylie Neuschaeferova and Martina Maixnerova, 21-19, 18-21, 15-10, to punch their way to the final against Lithuania’s Leva Dumbauskaite and Gerda Grudzinskaite.
The Lithuanians beat Australia’s Stefanie Fejes and Jasmine Fleming, 21-18, 21-18 in the semifinal.