SM By the Bay A team blasts Centerstage, enters SLiga final

MANILA, Philippines - SM By the Bay A’s Jade Becaldo and Hachaliah Gilbuena trounced Centerstage’s Rence Melgar and John Carlo Lozada, 21-13, 21-16, to barge into the men’s finals of the rain-delayed Philippine Superliga Beach Volleyball Challenge Cup at the Sands by the Bay in SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City yesterday.

Becaldo and Gilbuena encountered little trouble in dominating the Melgar-Lozada pair and securing a spot in the finals set next week.

“We just came out aggressive,” said Becaldo, a Cebuano who teamed up with Ateneo star Bea Tan to emerge the first King and Queen of the Sands, a tournament organized by SM a few weeks back.

Meanwhile, play was halted in the girls division due to lightning, strong winds and darkness.

Becaldo and Gilbuena thus arranged an interesting title showdown with Champion Infinity B’s Marjun Alingasa and Tippy Tipgos, who edged Cignal HD Spikers A’s power-hitting duo of Sandy Montero and Edmar Bonono in a gripping, come-from-behind 21-23, 22-20, 15-10 victory.

Alingasa and Tipgos fought back from a first-set loss, fashioning out an escape act in the second set then dominated Montero and Bonono in the deciding set.

The key was our patience. We didn’t give up when we lost the first set,” said Alingasa.

From 0-7 down, Alingasa and Tipgos rallied to tie at 21 in the first set. But Montero unleashed a service ace and Bonono clinched the set with a drop.

Then Alingasa and Tipgos stole the show.

“We just told each other not to give up and fight for each point,” said the Tipgos, who played college ball for University of San Jose Recoletos in Cebu and was half of the team that wound up ninth in the 2014 Asian Beach Games.

In other results, Cignal HD Spikers B’s Emmanuel Luces and Jay Dela Cruz clinched fifth by downing Champion Infinity A’s Angelo Espiritu and Nestor Molate, 21-17, 15-21, 16-14; Instituto Estetico Manila’s Michael Conde and Ian Dela Calzada overpowered Perpetual Molino A’s Fernando Alburo and Ronel Del Mundo for seventh place; and Perpetual Molino B’s Emmanuel Gamat and Paolo Alona won via default over SM By the Bay B’s Tim and Daniel Young.