STA. LUCIA hopes to go all the way this time when the Gatorade-PSL Beach Volleyball Challenge Cup unreels tomorrow at the Subic Tennis Court.
The Realtors will field two pairs in sand court veterans Jackie Estoquia and DM Demontaño and Bang Pineda and Jonah Sabete in the beach volleyball tournament first to be held amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The players immediately plunged into training yesterday after receiving their negative saliva test result from Red Cross Olongapo.
“We immediately went to practice after breakfast. From that practice, okay naman ang feedback ng players. They are still adjusting lang sa conditions like the heat, the wind, and the feel of the sand itself. We will have another practice later this afternoon and then tomorrow as well,” said Sta. Lucia team manager Von Mojado.
“We decided to come as early as possible para the players can get a feel of what they will be experiencing this weekend,” he added.
Estoquia and Demontaño, runners-up in 2018 and 2019, are tipped to win the eight-team field in the three-day event to be played in accordance to stringent health protocols.
Among Sta. Lucia’s biggest opponents are the two teams from Abanse Negrense, which is composed of the pairs of Erjane Magdato and Alexa Polidario, Jennifer Cosas and Gelimae Villanueva.
Cosas was the part of the other Realtors team with Bianca Lizares that finished third in the 2019 edition held in Lingayen, Pangasinan.
Estoquia and Demontaño are bracketed in Pool B, while Pineda and Sabete are bunched in Pool A.
