Iligan, St. John’s top Shakey’s GVL elims

MANILA, Philippines - Iligan City National High School bested a host of others to top the Northern Mindanao leg while St. John’s Institute ruled the Western Visayas stage of the Shakey’s Girls Volleyball League Season 12 regional qualifiers recently in Cagayan de Oro and Iloilo City, respectively.

Iligan and SJI actually battled back from a pair of first-set setbacks before reasserting their might over their respective rivals in the semifinals then posted a pair of sweeps to clinch the first two berths in the Shakey’s Volleyball League of Champions, formerly the Tournament of Champions, slated in January next year.

The Iligan City spikers turned back their Corpus Christi School rivals, 17-25, 25-16, 25-17, in the semis then defeated the Libertad National HS tossers, 25-15, 25-18, 25-19, in the finals at the Nazareth gym in CDO.

SJI, on the other hand, repulsed Central Philippine U, 13-25, 25-21, 25-12, in the semis then trounced Living Stones International School, 25-21, 25-16, 25-15, at the Iloilo Doctors’ College gym.

Corpus Christi routed Misamis Occidental HS, 25-14, 25-16, while Central Phl U thumped St. Robert’s International Academy, 25-14, 25-11, to cop third place honors in their respective sections in the first two of six regional qualifiers of the annual event organized by Metro Sports and backed by Mikasa, Asics, Volley Prep and Millenia Suites.

Meanwhile, action shifts back to Mindanao next week with the third leg, the Southern Mindanao stage, Aug. 11-14 at the Davao Doctors College gym.

Metro Sports’ Johanz Buenvenida, also the SGVL tournament director, expects another spirited battle for top honors among the Southern Mindanao teams with all squads all primed up for the four-day event.

The regional winners will dispute the overall championship in next year’s League of Champions to be spiced up by the participation of foreign teams from New Zealand, Australia, the US and Bangladesh.

The Shakey’s GVL has produced current top players and rising stars in Alyssa Valdez, Abby Maraño, Ara Galang, Mika Reyes and Kim Fajardo, sisters Dindin and Jaja Santiago, Jessey de Leon, Ennajie Laure, Mayet Zapanta, Amanda Villanueva and Bernadette Pons.