THE UST Tiger Sands launched their bid for a third straight golden double with a commanding opening day sweep in the UAAP Season 87 beach volleyball tournament on Friday, Nov. 15, at the Sands SM By The Bay.
In the women’s division, UST’s Sofiah Pagara and two-time high school beach volleyball champion Khy Progella opened their title defense with a win over last season’s bronze medalists FEU Lady Tamaraws’ Lovely Lopez and Melody Pons, 21-16, 21-14.
Progella and Pagara followed it up by sweeping Ateneo’s Liz Lomocso and Grydel Matibag, 21-17, 21-13, notching their second win of the day.
Moving to the men’s division, the six-peat-seeking UST, led by reigning MVP Alche Gupiteo and Dominique Gabito, cruised past FEU’s Amet Bituin and Raniel Postorioso to start their season, 21-15, 21-9.
The pair of Gupiteo and Gabito then overwhelmed DLSU’s Von Marata and Andre Espejo in a lopsided affair, 21-5, 21-10, showcasing their offensive dominance to pick up their second win.
Despite their stellar start, Tiger Sands head coach Paul Jan Doloiras acknowledged the challenges of being reigning champions.
“The pressure is always there, especially since our players are still young,” Doloiras told The Flame.
The tactician emphasized the team’s focus on minimizing pressure and strengthening team chemistry after the departure of last season’s women’s MVP Gen Eslapor and men’s standout Rancel Varga.
“We worked on their team chemistry during the offseason, and I think we got the outcome that we wanted,” Doloiras added.
FEU was the only team to defeat UST in last season’s eliminations, but the latter came out with renewed focus this season.
The Tiger Sands will look to maintain their winning momentum on Saturday, Nov. 16, at the same venue, as the men’s team will face the Ateneo Blue Eagles, while the women’s team will take on the UP Fighting Maroons. F
