Bacolod Tay Tung High School (BTTHS) Thunderbolts came out with a solid performance sweeping the Central Philippine University Golden Lions: 25-21, 25-21 and 25-13 to defend their Girls 18-and-Under Rebisco Volleyball League Western Visayas leg title and advance to the national finals on November 17 to 24 in Manila.
Thunderbolts earned their tickets to the leg finals after sweeping University of St. La Salle in the semi-finals: 25-14 and 25-21, while the Golden Lions easily dispatched Living Stone International School: 25-16 and 25-19 in another semi-final match.
BTTHS vice chair for Sports Jose Montalbo said that it is always their target to return to the national championship.
He believed that the school's current team is stronger than last year's.
"The 3 months of tough training paid off. All efforts and sacrifices were all worth it," he added.
Aside from the ticket to the national finals in November, the champion team took home P25,000 as incentive.
Tay Tung almost hauled all major individual awards as Shane Carmona was named as MVP alongside her teammates Joan Monares (1st best middle blocker), Kiesha Bedonia (2nd best middle blocker), Alyssa Bertolano (best opposite attacker), and Katherine Shane Cortez (best setter).
Other individual awardees include CPU's Chris Ann Susbilla (1st outside attacker) and Pearl Ann Denura (best libero), and USLS' Mahriz Cosain (2nd outside attacker).
Now the team will turn its focus to this year's Batang Pinoy National Finals in Baguio scheduled from September 15 to 21. (HGD)