Hope downs UST, keeps Shakey’s girls volley title

MANILA, Philippines - Hope Christian High School survived University of Santo Tomas’ gritty stand in the first two sets then reasserted its might in the third to complete a 25-22, 25-23, 25-18 victory and retain the Shakey’s Girls Volleyball crown at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium last Sunday.

Justine Dorog stood at the forefront of Hope CHS attack while Isabel Molde and Christine Lim backed her up with superb digs and receptions to carry the team to hard-earned win and into the Tournament of Champions next year.

Dorog went on to bag the Best Attacker award and the coveted MVP honors while Molde took the Best Digger plum and Lim clinched the Best Receiver title.

UST’s Ejiya Laure was named the Best Setter in the league’s 11th season while Jaja Santiago and Marites Pablo of third placer National University copped the Best Blocker and Best Server awards in the event sponsored by Shakey’s and organized by Metro Sports headed by president Freddie Infante.

Hope’s Jerry Yee also ran away with the Best Coach award.

National U, meanwhile, repulsed Kings’ Montessori School, 25-16, 25-21, to clinch third place honors in the two-weeklong event backed by Mikasa, Asics, Tune Hotel, Burlington, BioFresh, Food Health and Science Magazine.

Hope, which swept the Pool A elims, downed NU, 25-21, 25-20, while UST, which also went unbeaten in Pool B qualifiers, hurdled Kings’ Montessori, 25-15, 25-17, in the crossover semis.

Hope will thus join the winners in the other regional elims in the T-of-C slated Jan. 13-17, 2014, also at Ninoy Aquino Stadium, along with two guest foreign teams from Australia and New Zealand.

Others who advanced to the T-of-C are University of San Jose-Recoletos, Central Philippine University, Leyte National High School and Angeles University Foundation, which topped their respective elims the last few weeks.

Meanwhile, the Mindanao elims will be held Nov. 14-17 in Davao, the Northern Luzon leg will be played on Nov. 21-24 in Baguio while the Southern Luzon elims is set Nov. 27-30 in Imus City, Cavite.