GUAM dominated the 25th Marianas Cup “Battle of the Beach,” claiming the men’s and women’s division titles Sunday at the Crowne Plaza Resort beach.
Eleven teams played in each division for a total of 22 teams, and of these teams, four were from Guam: two in the men’s and two in the women’s.
In the men’s division, it was Guam versus Guam in the finals with the Beach Bums outscoring the Guam Coaches 21-17.
The Beach Bums were riding high throughout the two-day tournament and continued to do so in the finale.
Their teamwork was superb as both players covered each other’s back effectively while cooking up offensive plays.
Anthony Santos constantly set the ball for teammate Ryan Eugenio who unleashed devastating spikes. Even from behind the serving line, Eugenio displayed power and accuracy to catch their opponents off-guard.
But the title match against the Guam Coaches was not a walk in the park for the Beach Bums.
Guam Coaches’ Dave Rillera and Manny Guarin worked the three-touch strategy to its fullest, setting up powerful spike finishes as well as a mix of surprise returns.
Eventually, however, the Beach Bums managed to gain steady control of the game as their execution turned out to be the key to victory, beating their opponents 21-17 to claim the championship.
The Beach Bums went through the double-elimination tournament with an undefeated record, winning a total of four matches.
Hard fought
As in the men’s division, two Guam teams vied for the championship in the women’s.
The Beach Bums’ Kara Eugenio and Jeneal Basebe cleared a path to the finals unscathed, but then they faced K Squared’s Kendra Byrd and Kristen Serrano in the finals.
K Squared were previously sent to the loser’s bracket by the Beach Bums so K Squared had to fight their way back to contention.
They succeeded in reaching the finals, but they had to beat the Beach Bums twice to win the title. The Beach Bums needed only to win once to bring home the crown.
In their title match, K Squared smothered their opponents defensively with timely blocks mixed with quick spikes to bag the set, 21-17, and force a final showdown.
Both teams played as equals, but K Squared managed to hold their ground and committed fewer errors to edge the Beach Bums, 22-20, and win the championship.
Beach Bum’s Ryan Eugenio leaps for the spike return during a men’s division game of the 25th Marianas Cup Sunday at the Crowne Plaza beach.
K Squared’s Kendra Byrd dives for the save during a women’s division game of the 25th Marianas Cup Sunday at the Crowne Plaza beach.
