UST duels Adamson; La Salle battles SSC

University of Santo Tomas collides with Adamson while La Salle battles San Sebastian in a pair of matches tipped to go down-to-the-wire as the Final Four of the Shakey’s V-League second conference fires off today at The Arena in San Juan City.

The Tigresses, who topped the single round elims with a 6-1 mark, get the chance to even things up with their only tormentor as they take on the Lady Falcons in the 2 p.m. opener of the best-of-three series.

“The semis is challenging for us because this is the best time to avenge our only setback in the elims,” said UST coach Cesael delos Santos. “I expect a good match-up.” 

The other explosive match up is set at 4 p.m. with the Lady Archers squaring off with the Lady Stags with odds just about even between the league’s top defensive squad (La Salle) and the top-hitting team (SSC).

“We can match up well with La Salle. But we have to practice and work harder to get into the final,” said SSC mentor Roger Gorayeb.

For updates and results, visit the tournament website at www.v-league.ph. The league is backed by Active White skin whitening products, Mikasa and Accel.

Meanwhile, the UST-Adamson matchup will be telecast at 2 p.m. tomorrow with replays to be shown on both Viva Prime Channel on Destiny Cable and Makisig Channel on Sky Cable. The SSC-La Salle game will be aired on Sunday.

UST and San Sebastian are both seeking revenge against their respective rivals with the Tigresses raring to bounce back from their 25-23, 21-25, 9-25, 20-25 loss to the Lady Falcons, winners of the first conference of the league sponsored by Shakey’s Pizza.

The UST-Adamson match also features the duel of the league’s top hitters in Mary Jean Balse and Nene Bautista, both MVP awardees.

Backing up Balse are UST alumna Venus Bernal, another power hitter, Bernice Co and Denise Tan while top setter Janet Serafica, Rissa Jane Laguilles and Angela Benting are expected to provide support to Bautista.

“We have to stay focused and play consistently,” said Adamson coach Dulce Pante.

The Lady Stags are also out for a payback against the Lady Archers, who battled back from a set down to turn back the four-time NCAA champions, 18-25, 25-23, 25-18, 25-16, in their elims duel.

SSC will pin its hopes on guest players Suzzane Roces and Jinni Mondejar along with veterans Lou Ann Latigay and Rysabelle Devanadera against La Salle’s top spikers in Stephanie Mercado, Manilla Santos, Celine Hernandez and Michelle Datuin. – end it//thanks