HOT START. AJ Pareja sets a return for teammate Ran Abadilla (1) in the opening of the Smart Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Beach Tour Nuvali Open in Santa Rosa, Laguna on Thursday (April 4, 2024). The pair got off to a hot start after beating Australia’s Potts D’Artagnan and Ben Hood, 21-17, 21-19. (PNVF photo)
MANILA – The Philippines got off to a hot start in the Smart Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Beach Tour Nuvali Open with three huge straight-sets victories on Thursday in Santa Rosa, Laguna.
Ran Abdilla and AJ Pareja outhustled Australia’s Potts D’Artagnan and Ben Hood, 21-17, 21-19, in the first match at center court of the world-class Nuvali Sand Courts by Ayala Land to spark the other Philippine pair —James Buytrago and Rancel Varga— which overpowered Indonesia’s Yogi Hermawan and Ketut Ardana, 21-11, 21-9.
Gen Eslapor and Kly Orillaneda joined the fun by dispatching Singapore’s Cecilia Huichin Soh and Tin Wing Chan, 21-9, 21-15.
It was a huge opening-day win for the country and the organizing Philippine National Volleyball Federation headed by Ramon “Tats” Suzara, especially for Pareja and Abdilla who started training together only two months ago.
“We weren’t really focused on the score, we just did what we did in training, focus on the plays, minimize the errors,” Pareja said in a news release.
Abdilla and Pareja’s fine start also relieved some of the pressure off old buddies Varga and Buytrago, who pounced on the Indonesians for the quick win.
“Their win (Pareja-Abdilla) was a huge boost in confidence for us,” Varga said.
Paul Burnett and Jack Pearse of Australia defeated New Zealand’s Juraj Krajci and James Sadlier, 21-11, 21-15, in the in the event backed by Foton, Akari, Mikasa, Senoh, Seda, Asics, Cignal, One Sports, One Sports+ and Pilipinas Live.
Thailand’s Surin Jongklang and Dunwinit Kaewsai downed Malaysia’s Kaixu Looi and Weichun Ler, 21-12, 21-15, in the tournament organized by the Philippine National Volleyball Federation led by Tats Suzara.
China’s Li Zhuoxin and Liu Chuanyong scored a 21-18, 21-11 victory over Singapore’s Eng Cheng Feng Renfred and Ranjiv Sasikumar, while Iran’s Abdolhamed Mirzaali and Abolhassan Khakizadeh beat Dmitriy Yakovlev and Sergey Bogatu, 21-13, 19-21, 17-15.
In other women’s matches, Thailand’s P. Woranatchayakorn and P. Charanrutwadee eased past Macau’s Leong Onieng and Law Wengsam, 21-14, 26-24, while Japan’s Suzuka Hashimoto and Reika Murakami overpowered Eliza Chong and Huiying Ang of Singapore, 21-10, 21-12.
New Zealand’s Danielle Quigley and Olivia Macdonald thrashed Malaysia’s Mashitah Muhamad Nasir and Auni Shamsulrizal, 21-9, 21-10, while Japan’s Asami Shiba and Saki Maruyama defeated Kazakhstan’s Anastassiya Ukolova and Mariya Peressetskaya, 21-8, 21-17.
The PNVF will also host in Nuvali the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour-Futures from April 11 to 14 and the Volleyball Nations League Men’s Week 3 from June 18 to 23.
Japan’s Ryuichi Adachi and Nassim Malki denied Abdilla and Pareja a twin kill for the day by overcoming a sluggish start to chalk up a 13-21, 21-17, 15-12 victory later Thursday.
Indonesia’s Yogi Hermawan and Ketut Ardana got in the win column also in the afternoon session with a 21-16, 21-19 victory over Japan’s Kosuke Fukishima and Hiroki Dylan Kurokawa.
That set the tone for Indonesia, which scored two more wins late in the afternoon.
Bintang Akbar and Sofyan Efendi beat the Kiwi pair of Krajci-Sadlier, 23-21, 21-17, while Danangsyah Pribadi and Yosi Firnanda held off the Malaysian duo Looi-Ler, 21-14, 25-23.
Kazakhstan’s Nurdos Aldash and Kirill Gurin steamrollered Eng and Sasikumar, 21-16, 21-14, to keep the Singaporean duo winless.
Abbas Pourasgari and Alireza Aghajanighasab of Iran dubbed Macau’s Cheang Houwang and Ng Ioilong, 21-5, 21-7. The other Iranian team, Mirzaali and Abolhassan, made it two wins for the day by walloping Thailand’s Netitorn Muneekul and Muadpha Wachirawit, 21-17, 21-16. (PNA)
