SSC, Army dispute lead, Final 4 berth in V-League

MANILA, Philippines - San Sebastian College and Philippine Army dispute the first semifinal berth in the Shakey’s V-League Open Conference today in what is tipped to be another explosive showdown between the league’s leading squads at The Arena in San Juan.

The Lady Stags put one over the erstwhile unbeaten Lady Troopers with a pulsating five-set win last Aug. 18, enabling the Recoletos-based squad to share top honors at the close of the single rounds.

With three victories each in the quarters, SSC and Army face off again not only for the lead but for the first seat in the Final Four of the league’s season-ending conference.

They are actually a cinch to make it to the semis of the tournament sponsored by Shakey’s Pizza, but both teams will surely be going all out in their 4 p.m. encounter for the top spot in the Final Four.

Ateneo and Navy, tied with Air Force in third with 1-2 slates, also seek a crucial win to fuel their own semis bid, ensuring another pair of thrilling matches in the tournament backed by Accel, Mikasa and Maynilad Water.

The SSC-Army duel will be a duel of offense vs defense with the Stags expected to lean again on American import Lauren Ford, the league’s leading scorer and spiker, and the Troopers hoping to live up to their billing as the No. 1 team in blocks.

Ford, who norms 21 hits and totes a leading 48.88 percent success in spikes, is actually the league’s leading blocker with an average of 0.88 per set although as a team, SSC leads the league with a 2.39 norm per set.

But cohesion and reception will also play a major role in keenly awaited encounter with Ford, who fired 32 points against Ateneo last Tuesday, hoping to draw solid backup from Thai Jang Baulee, Joy Benito, Rubie de Leon, Jill Gustilo and Dafna Robiños.

The Stags are coming off a pair of five-set wins over Navy and Ateneo while Army, heading by sisters Michelle and Marietta Carolino, Joanne Buñag, Dahlia Cruz and Rachel Ann Daquis, repulsed Ateneo in four and then swept Air Force heading into today’s contest.

Meanwhile, the SSC-Ateneo match will be aired today on NBN 4 starting at 2 p.m. on GMA-7’s international channels GMA Pinoy TV, GMA LifeTV and GMA News TV, according to the organizing Sports Vision.