Lady Altas go for sweep vs Stags

MANILA, Philippines - Perpetual Help and San Sebastian clash for one last time today in what promises to be a slam-bang sudden death for the NCAA women’s volleyball crown at The Arena in San Juan City.

The Lady Altas charged back from an opening set setback with a sweep of the next three, escaping with a 21-25, 25-12, 28-26, 29-27 victory late Monday to force the deciding Game 3.

“We have to stay focused, raise the level of play and not be too overconfident just like what happened in Game One,” said Perpetual rookie coach Jason Sapin in Filipino after the Lady Altas took the scrambling win.

The Lady Altas will be trying to complete a Perpetual Help sweep after its counterparts clinched the men’s crown for the third straight year against Emilio Aguinaldo College last Monday.

For San Sebastian mentor Clint Malazo, it will boil down to team effort.

“In Game Two, Perpetual showed they’re the more experienced team. For us to win Game Three, we will need to really come up with a total team effort,” said Malazo, whose wards pulled off a tough 26-24, 26-24, 22-25, 27-25 victory in the series’ opener last Saturday.

Gametime is at 9:30 a.m.

Odds remain even between the league’s top teams with the Lady Altas to pin their hopes again on Sandra delos Santos, Honey Tubino and Norie Diaz, who stepped up with a 24-hit performance Monday after struggling for a seven-hit effort in the opener.

Delos Santos, the reigning MVP, continues to play consistently with an 18-point norm in the series, while Tubino is logging 16.5 points per game in the finals.

But Sapin braces for a big SSC fightback.

“We remain positive heading to Game 3. For all our struggles, we were still able to reach the finals so going for the crown,” said San Sebastian coach Clint Malazo. 

SSC rookie Gretchel Soltones matched Diaz’s 24-hit burst in Game Two and will remain the team’s go-to player together with Jolina Labiano, who contributed 14 hits.

Ara Mallare, however, was a non-factor, scoring only five hits after a 12-point outing in the series opener.

“Breaks of the game will decide this match as each set had been that close. So we have to minimize our errors,” said Malazo.