RP rips Sri Lanka in opener

Host Philippines smashed its way to the quarterfinal round of the seventh Asian Youth Girls Volleyball Championship as it smothered Sri Lanka with a convincing 25-13, 25-21, 25-12 victory at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City yesterday.

The Filipinos, playing before a small but boisterous crowd, bucked the absence of skipper Alyssa Valdez as they dominated the Sri Lankans with their power game to book their first win in this event backed by Shakey’s Pizza, Mikasa, the Philippine Sports Commission and Thermos.

But the RP spikers will have their hands full as they take on a taller Australia side at 5 p.m. today.

The Aussies also blasted the Sri Lankans, 25-21, 25-17, 25-10, in Saturday’s opener of the weeklong tournament.

The winner in the RP-Australia duel will clinch the top seed in Group A while the loser settles for the No. 2 seeding entering the next phase.

“The girls are a little nervous but we managed to play well,” said RP coach Francis Vicente, also the mentor of the University of Santo Tomas’ high school squad.

The power-hitting Aleona Santiago unloaded 12 kills while Patty Orendain rammed in eight hits to more than make up for the absence of Valdez, who sustained cramps in the second set.

“The team that played late in the game was our emergency team, I’m happy they delivered,” said Vicente.

Orendain, a 16-year-old standout from La Salle-Bacolod, took over in the third set as she teamed up with Maruja Banaticla and Ingrid Reyes to finish off the Sri Lankans.

Southeast Asian power Thailand frolicked against Iran as it fashioned out an easy 25-8, 25-12, 25-13 victory to advance to the quarters in Group C action.

In Group D, powerhouse China blasted Kazakhstan, 25-13, 25-18, 25-20, to likewise advance to the next round of the tournament.

Liu Mingjuan came away with 11 hits while Li Weiwei scattered 10 kills for the fancied Chinese squad.