The Philippines is assured of a silver medal in the FIVB Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Futures as Rancel Varga and James Buytrago defeated Toms Liepa and Ernests Puskundzis of Latvia, 21-14, 21-16, in the semifinals on Sunday, April 14, at the Nuvali Sand Courts by Ayala Land in the City of Santa Rosa. Varga and Buytrago overpowered the Latvian team that they also defeated in straight sets in the pool play of the tournament featuring 38 teams from 16 countries. Rancel Varga and James Buytrago “But we still considered ourselves the underdogs,” Buytrago said. “It’s an entirely different match ..read more

By Henry L. Liao Not once, not twice but thrice. For legendary Los Angeles Lakers great Jerry West, whose silhouette appears on the National Basketball Association (NBA) logo, it’s back to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for an unprecedented third time in mid-August this year – this time in the Contributors category as an executive and consultant West, who as a prolific, cool-and-calm 6-3 combo guard in the sixties and early seventies earned him the sobriquet “Mr. Clutch” for his ability to drill in jumpers during crunch-time or pressure situations in a game, is being honored aga ..read more

Cignal faces Criss Cross in a Sunday, April 14, clash that promises nothing but thrill in clash of undefeated teams in the Spikers’ Turf Open Conference at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City. The highly anticipated match, set at 6 p.m., guarantees not just to be a battle for the top spot but also a display of sheer determination as both teams aim to stretch their winning streak to five and boost their confidence moving forward. Ysay Marasigan of Criss Cross (PVL photo) “Kung excited ang mga fans, kung excited ang volleyball community, mas excited kami,” said Cignal head coach Dexter Clamor, em ..read more

Eya Laure took the wheel in Chery Tiggo’s giant-slaying road trip, propelling the Crossovers to a pivotal victory over Cignal in the 2024 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference. The open spiker showcased her all-around game to lift Chery Tiggo past Cignal, 26-24, 25-20, 26-24, last Thursday, April 11, at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City. Eya Laure of Chery Tiggo [PVL photo] Laure unloaded 16 points built on 11 attacks, two kill blocks, and three aces on top of 13 excellent receptions as the Crossovers improved to a 6-2 win-loss slate tied with Petro Gazz. Displaying consistency on ..read more

VNS-Nasty secured its breakthrough win in the 2024 Spikers’ Turf Open Conference at the expense of the luckless Richmarc Sports 3B, with a score of 25-20, 25-21, 25-15, on Friday, April 12, at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig. Wewe Medina was outstanding for VNS, demonstrating efficiency in the spiking department by going 17-of-25 to finish with 18 points. He also tallied 12-of-17 excellent receptions and five digs. Manuel Medina of VNS-Nasty [PVL photo] With the win, moving them to 1-3, the Griffins breathed life into their dwindling semifinal chances, now jointly fifth with Philippine Air Fo ..read more

Maverick secured its first win of the 2024 Spikers’ Turf Open Conference by defeating the Philippine Air Force for the fourth consecutive time, with a score of 25-19, 25-20, 25-9, on Friday, April 12, at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig. The Hard Hitters now share the fifth to seventh positions with Savouge Aesthetics and VNS-Nasty, all boasting 1-3 records. Action shot from the game between the Philippine Air Force Airmen vs. Maverick Hard Hitters on Friday, April 12. [PVL photo] “Siguro we were just well prepared. We really worked hard and prepared for each other, and I just told them to des ..read more

Thirteen Filipinos are “technically” going to the Paris Olympics with 12 more hoping to qualify for Team Philippines that is celebrating its 100th year participation in the Games. Further, The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) has formalized negotiations with a month-long training camp in a world-class facility at Les Arenas Metz in La Moselle ahead of the July 26 to August 11. Chef de mission Jonvic Remulla, POC president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino and secretary-general Atty. Wharton Chan. [PR photo] “We have as of now qualified 13 athletes for Paris,” POC president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentin ..read more

Beach Volleyball Republic returns with intense and exciting action at the Seafront Residences in Batangas for the 2024 Summer Kickoff tournament on Saturday, April 13. A total of six women’s teams and six men’s squads from the UAAP and the NCAA will compete in the one-day event, which also features an exhibition match between the pairs of Fille Cainglet-Cayetano and Bea Tan, and Dzi Gervacio and Iris Tolenada at 10:30 a.m. BVR Dzi Gervacio and Bea Tan will take part in an exhibition match. Gervacio will team up with Iris Tolenada while Tan will have Cayetano as her partner this time. [BVR PHOT ..read more

World-class action returns at the world-class Nuvali Sand Courts with the staging of the sixth leg of the 2024 FIVB Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Futures starting today, April 11. It was only last Sunday when the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) capped a four-day Asian Volleyball Confederation Beach Tour Nuvali Open at the Nuvali courts by Ayala Land with Iran and Australia emerging as men’s and women’s champions, respectively. On Thursday, the elite in beach volleyball would again converge in the City of Santa Rosa for the sixth of the 36 legs calendared by the FIVB and Vol ..read more

By Henry Liao Traditionally, April 9 has been a “red-colored” national holiday in the Philippines as we Filipinos commemorate the fall of Bataan to the invading Japanese military forces during the four-year World War II hostilities. During my younger days, the holiday was called “Bataan Day.” Now it’s called “Araw ng Kagitingan.” In sports, April 9 also is a special date to remember for local basketball fans. The first game (and playdate) in the history of Asia’s first and oldest professional league, the Philippine Basketball Association, was held on April 9, 1975. Nine trailblazing franchise ..read more