Though Jayrack de la Noche and Alexander Iraya ended their stint in the 4th Asian U21 Beach Volleyball Championships, they still managed to make history by leading the country to its maiden quarterfinal appearance in the tournament.
The Filipino pair reached the last eight after stunning tournament No. 2 seed Australia 1’s Connor O’Neill and Ruben Gale, 15-21, 21-14, 15-10, on Wednesday, July 14 in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand.
Iraya delivered the winner, which shocked the Aussies as the pair from Victorias City, Negros Occidental have only started competing internationally this year.
But their optimism was short-lived as the No. 7 seed fell to Thailand 3’s Narakorn Chumaphai and Nopphawit Puttarong, 18-21, 10-21, in the quarterfinals on Wednesday afternoon.
“I am proud of these boys and all I can say at this very moment is I [got goose bumps] all over,” said Carmela “Melay” Gamboa, Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) director and events commission chair who also served as the boys’ coach in the match against the Thais.
De la Noche and Iraya, standouts from the University of Santo Tomas high school program, made their international debut in the 3rd Asian U19 Beach Volleyball Championships last week. – Rappler.com
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