Bacolod Tay Tung High School team crowned as the Western Visayas champion, setting their sights on the national stage.*
Visayas seeks to continue proving that the finest girls’ volleyball players in the Philippines are found in its major island group as two regional dynasties and another worthy champion look forward to fly to Manila for the Rebisco Volleyball League (RVL) National Finals in Mandaluyong from November 22 to 25.
Defending national champion Bacolod Tay Tung High School, University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R), and Linao National High School are set to represent their respective regions after ruling the regional finals of the biggest 18-and-under women’s volleyball tournament in the country that attracted 480 schools from 10 regions this year.
Bacolod Tay Tung is eager to keep showing why it’s the best high school volleyball squad not just in its region, but also in the entire country after emerging as the Western Visayas champion. USJ-R will represent Central Visayas, while Linao came out as the clear winner from Eastern Visayas.
All eyes are on the Bacolod Tay Tung Thunderbolts, the reigning national champions who seek to prove their victory last year was no fluke.
The Thunderbolts left their regional opponents stunned. Their 25-4, 25-5 win over Buenavista National High School in their second game of the prequalifying leg was proof of how they dominated the rest of their regional campaign.
Tay Tung also defeated Colegio de la Purisima Concepcion and Northwestern Visayan Colleges in their prequalifying group, then beat Central Philippine University in crossover semifinal, before eliminating St. John’s Institute in the prequalifying finale. Picking up from where they left off, the Thunderbolts reigned supreme in the eight-team regional finals to earn the right to represent West Visayas once again.
To show how stacked Bacolod Tay Tung lineup is, the Thunderbolts bagged all but two of the individual regional awards.
Ann Francesca Hermosura stood tallest as she was named MVP and Second Best Middle Blocker. Rhea Mae Tomas was adjudged Best Libero, while Jan Rose Bulak was picked Best Setter. Tay Tung also occupied the Best Opposite Attacker and First Best Outside Hitter slots in Joenil Ann Ramos and Camila Amor Bartolome, respectively. St. John’s Institute standouts Eileen Yanson (Second Best Outside Hitter) and Cafra Celois (First Best Middle Blocker) were the two other awardees.*PR