Velaris completes golden sweep, beats SABR 23-21 to clinch PCL Asia berth

Team Velaris survived a pressure-packed 23-21 gold-medal showdown at Pickletown, Davao to clinch the PCL Rising Stars U19 Sectional Tournament and a berth to the PCL Asia Grand Finals on Hainan Island, China in April. The win on Sunday, March 1, 2026, earned the quartet a USD1,000 (about PHP57,000) development grant from the Asia Elite Pickleball Academy (AEPA), paddles, balls and official apparel, while PCL Asia will shoulder airfare, local transportation and accommodations for the qualifiers.

The victory completed a bona fide golden sweep for Velaris at the centerpiece Pickle Fest 2026: the squad of Shesha Bree Biñas, Chrystelle Marjh Elisan, Izzy Lacida and Jacob Cagas swept the women’s doubles, men’s doubles and two mixed doubles U19 titles to "stamp their dominance" at the sectional. The four players combined soft-game control and power to win the tournament’s decisive match-play moments and the overall team trophy.

Reporters described a marathon finale built on extended rallies, sharp cross-court dinks and pressure-packed third-shot drops. “Biñas and Elisan controlled the soft game with steady dinks and sharp net play, winning key long rallies to set the tone,” one account noted, while “Lacida and Cagas mixed powerful drives with precise third-shot drops, dictating tempo and closing out crucial points with confident volleys.”

Beyond the prize package, the immediate practical payoff is clear: the US$1,000 AEPA development grant and supplied equipment give Velaris a funding and gear boost ahead of continental competition. The tournament materials showed the team posing with gold medals, a replica of the scholarship development grant and a ticket to the PCL Asia Grand Finals, visual confirmation of the trip they will take in April.

SABR finished silver after the narrow loss; that roster listed Rose Lieryanne Bacaron, Samanthan Abes, Alva Bual and Aljamier Usman. Bronze went to Pickle Homies, whose lineup featured Mervic Indagacan, Jenny Tolentino, Rojin Tagimalay and Jipoy Gildore. Those podium finishes close out the U19 sectional standings that powered Pickle Fest’s centerpiece competition.

Pickle Fest’s open age-group finals also produced decisive results. In 20+ men’s doubles, Jin Hernandez and Robert Nobleza defeated Roddick Litang and Anthony Byrd, 15-8. In 35+ men’s doubles, Juan Carlo Pantua and Aldrin Quintero beat Robbie Martinez and Winn Htun, 11-4. Patricia Adaza and Macy Serrano took 35+ women’s doubles over Mary Jane Elisan and Aubrey Rivera, 11-6, and Pantua and Adaza secured the mixed doubles gold after beating Rivera and Rafael Rodriguez, 11-4.

Velaris now heads toward Hainan Island in April as the Philippines’ U19 sectional representatives, with travel and lodging logistics covered for the qualifiers. Players and coaches from Pickle Fest 2026 will next cross into regional play as Net and Paddle action moves to Cebu City for a March 11-15 tournament that organizers list on the official Pickle Fest Facebook page. Velaris leaves Davao having completed a four-title sweep and carrying both hardware and a development grant into Asia’s Grand Finals.