Ateneo targets semis; Army stops Sandugo

MANILA, Philippines -  Ateneo hopes to seal the fourth and last Final Four berth while Navy tries to stay in the hunt in a crucial match today in the Shakey’s V-League Open elims at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Coming off a tough come-from-behind five-set win over the Far Eastern U Lady Tams last Sunday, the Lady Eagles set out as the slight favorites to repeat over the back-to-the-wall Lady Sailors in the 4 p.m. game and formalize their stint in the semifinal round.

With a 3-4 mark, Ateneo needs only a win in its last three games to book the No. 4 spot and a date with the No. 1 squad in the Final Four.

At 1-6, Navy must sweep its last three matches and hope Ateneo to lose at least two of its last three games to force a playoff for the last semis berth in the league sponsored by Shakey’s Pizza.

But the way the first conference champions fought from the brink and ousted the Lady Tams in a thrilling fightback Sunday, the Sailors will have to triple their effort to stop the Eagles and keep their slim hopes alive.

Alyssa Valdez and Fille Cainglet, who combined for 47 hits against the Tams, hope to come out strong again as they go for a repeat of their three-set romp over the Sailors in the first round.

Army and Sandugo, meanwhile, zero in on the No. 1 spot as they take on separate rivals with the Lady Troopers colliding with a surging Cagayan Valley side at 2 p.m. and the Lady Stags clashing with the Tams at 6 p.m.

Rachel Ann Daquis and Marietta Carolino, who starred in Army’s 25-21, 25-22, 16-25, 12-25, 15-8 win over Sandugo capping the Sunday thriller, are expected to lead the Troopers’ bid against the Rising Suns, who are coming off a stirring four-game run in the mid-season tournament of the league backed by Mikasa and Accel.

Meanwhile, Daquis fired 17 hits, Marietta Carolino and Jacqueline Alarca shot 10 markers each and the Troopers outplayed the Lady Stags in the decider to force a tie for first a 6-1.

Sandugo outhit Army, 54-48, but the Troopers lorded it over the net in defense, scoring 13 blocks against their rivals’ eight, and proved steadier in the crunch to pound out the win.

Cagayan lost to Army in five sets in the first round elims but the newcomers are raring to get back at the defending champions in what promises to be another cliffhanger of a duel between two of the league’s fancied teams.

Led by the league’s scoring leader Sandra delos Santos, the Rising Suns are likewise expected to pin their hopes on Joy Cases, Honey Tubino and Thai reinforcements Kunbang Pornmipol and Sutadta Chuewulim.