Troopers down Eagles, arrange rematch vs Viets

MANILA, Philippines - Philippine Army disposed of Ateneo in three in their showdown for the second finals berth yesterday to arrange a return bout with powerhouse Vietnam in the V-League Invitational Club Championship at The Arena in San Juan.

The Troopers played just well enough to eliminate the Lady Eagles, getting the job done in 64 minutes via a 25-13, 25-9, 25-17 romp that sent them into a winner-take-all match with the Vietnamese for the crown.

Vietnam, with Russian Ekaterina Martynova scoring 18 hits and Tran Thi Loan and Nguyen Thi Huong combining for 26 points, completed its sweep of the single round elims, thwarting Malaysia, 25-13, 25-21, 24-26, 25-16, in the other game.

Army actually pounced on the sidelining of Ateneo’s top hitter Alyssa Valdez, who sustained a shoulder injury and had to cut short her stint after scoring three points.

Vietnam clinched the first finals seat in the four-team tournament sponsored by Shakey’s Pizza as early as last Friday when it subdued Army, 25-20, 25-23, 25-23.

But the Troopers vented their ire on the Eagles, whom they dominated from start to finish to prime up for their much-awaited clash with the Viets in the finals of the event organized by Sports Vision and backed by Accel and Mikasa.

They dispute the crown at 4 p.m. today while Ateneo and Malaysia battle for third place honors at 2 p.m.

Matches can be viewed on live streaming at www.v-league.ph while ringside, lower box and general admission tickets are pegged at P300, P200, and P75, respectively.

Despite their straight-set setback to Vietnam, Army coach Rico de Guzman said the Troopers have what it takes to beat the Viets but stressed the need for his wards to play a more aggressive game and minimize their errors.

“If not for our errors, we could have beaten them (Viets),” said de Guzman. “But we must double our efforts and we have to be more aggressive, especially in blocking.”

Marietta Carolino, held to just six hits by the Viets Friday, came through with six blocks against the Eagles and went on to topscore for the Troopers with 11 points.

Former Shakey’s V-League MVPs Nerissa Bautista and Mary Jean Balse each scored nine points while Rachel Ann Daquis added eight hits and Michelle Carolino chipped in six points for Army.

Fille Cainglet dished out a game-high 13-point output but failed to get the needed support from the rest of the squad with Dzi Gervacio struggling for four points after firing 14 hits in a thrilling five-setter win over the Malaysians the other day.