DUMAGUETE CITY – The BVR On Tour: Dumaguete Open, which reels off Friday at the Rizal Boulevard sand court here, will feature the participation of three pairs from Hong Kong.
The women's duo of Yuen Ting Chi and Lok Shun, and the men's teams of Chueng Chek Hong and Li Chun Kit, and Wong Ka Yun and Tse Kin Wang have arrived in this Negros Oriental capital Thursday together with the 21 local pairs that will compete in the third leg of the year.
The Hong Kong players are expected to improve the level of competition, as proven in the same Dumaguete leg late last year, where University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos alums Alexa Polidario and Erjane Magdato emerged victorious over Samaa Miyagawa of Japan and Tin Lai of Hong Kong.
Returning to the site of their successful championship run, Polidario and Magdato are ready to do an encore against a tough field led by Yuen and Lok, Perlas' Bea Tan and Dij Rodriguez, NU-Boysen's Roma Joy Doromal and Roma May Doromal, Air Force 1's May Ann Pantino and Jozza Cabalsa, Smash Bacolod's Bianca Lizares and Jennnifer Cosas and the University of Santo Tomas duos of Babylove Barbon and Gen Eslapor, and MJ Ebro and Derie Virtusio.
Tan and Rodriguez are hoping to make it three in a row after their undefeated runs in the Puerto Galera and Santa Fe, Bantayan Island legs last month.
Exciting action is likewise expected in the men's division, as the two Hong Kong pairs are raring to give a tough challenge against Air Force's Jessie Lopez and Ranran Abdilla, University of St. La Salle's Herold Parcia and Deanne Neil Depedro, and NU-Boysen's James Buytrago and Pol Salvador.
Lopez and Abdilla are also eyeing for their third straight crown.
After the Dumaguete leg, the BVR on Tour will visit Lingayen, Pangasinan to cap a back-to-back swing on April 31-May 1, which will also serve as build-up to the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour 1-Star to be held in Boracay on May 23-26.
Dumaguete Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo, who will attend the opening ceremonies, is upbeat that the hosting of the BVR leg will solidify the city's status as the sports tourism capital in the central Philippines.
Completing the women's cast are USLS-Bacolod's Nohlin Jundana and Ceejay Recayo, Air Force 2's Mikaela Andres and Angel Antipuesto, Sipalay City's Jesalen Moises and Gelamie Villanueva, and Rizal Technological University's Reyann Cañete and Sayrel Bermeo.
Also vying for the men's championship are Visayas' Jade Becaldo and Mike Abria, Colegio de San Agustin-Bacolod's Marvin Haresco and Mike Anton Beronio, UST's Efraem Dimaculangan and Rancel Varga, Gandang Laban's Rawsa Inaudito and Nichol Jundana, Perpetual Help's Jayjay Solamillo and John Patrick Ramos.