Tigresses, Stags face off

UST and San Sebastian open their best-of-three showdown for the Shakey’s V-League second conference crown today with the Tigresses out to relive their winning tradition and the Lady Stags raring to score a breakthrough win.

The Tigresses nipped the Stags in a five-setter in the elims, pouncing on the sidelining of SSC’s top blocker Jinni Mondejar to pound out the victory. But the Recoletos-based squad is setting out for the 4 p.m. encounter in top shape and oozing with confidence following a sweep of La Salle in their Final Four duel.

In contrast, UST needed to sweep the last two games to turn back Adamson in their own semis playoff to reach the final for the sixth time.

The Tigresses went on to win three titles but skipped the first conference this year to reorganize following the graduation of some of its top players.

With the right motivation and proper training under coach Cesael delos Santos, the Tigresses blossomed into another championship caliber team, headed by Venus Bernal, Mary Jean Balse, Aiza Maizo, Maika Ortiz, Judy Ann Caballejo and Bernice Co.

But SSC is hungry for title, falling short on its two cracks at the championship but looking good with a team built around the league’s top scorer Laurence Ann Latigay, Suzanne Roces, Rysabelle Devanadera, Analyn Joy Benito, setter Charisse Ancheta and Mondejar.

La Salle and Adamson dispute third place honors in a separate best-of-three playoff starting at 2 p.m.

Meanwhile, the sponsoring Shakey’s Pizza and the organizing Sports Vision will hand out the individual awards to the top performers in the league at 3:45 p.m.

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

Heading into the best-of-three finals, the Lady Stags top the league in hitting, converting 467 spikes from 791 shots while making 152 faults for a 33.12 percent clip off a total of 1,410 attempts.

Devanadera emerged the best spiker from the elims to the semis with a 41.21 percent norm, making 82 hits out of 199 attempts but it was Latigay who came out as the best scorer with a 167 total, including 143 spikes, 15 blocks and nine service points.

Latigay was at her best when the Stags trounced the Lady Archers start of their best-of-three semis where she unloaded a conference-high 30 hits last Nov. 21. SSC went on to sweep the three-time champion to advance to the finals of the league for the third time. — end it//thanks