Suns hope to rise again vs Raiders

Games tomorrow

2 p.m. – Cagayan vs Air Force 4 p.m. – Army vs PLDT

MANILA, Philippines - From joint leader after the elims, Cagayan Valley suddenly found itself in fifth place and clinging in a bid to stay in the Final Four hunt and keep its title-retention bid going in the Shakey’s V-League Season 11 Open Conference.

No thanks to a winless campaign in the quarters, marred by a five-set loss to the ousted National U side last Tuesday.

At 6-5, the Rising Suns need no less than a win over the third-running Air Force Raiders in tomorrow’s final quarters playdate to force a three-way tie for the last two semis slots among Cagayan, Air Force and Ateneo at 7-5.

A repeat of its straight-set win over Air Force last July 17 will give Cagayan the No. 3 spot, leaving Ateneo and Air Force to dispute the last semis seat in the mid-season conference of the league sponsored by Shakey’s and backed by Mikasa and Accel.

A five-set win by Cagayan, meanwhile, will give Ateneo the No. 3 spot with the Rising Suns and the Raiders battling for the last Final Four berth. A four-set victory, however, will have either Cagayan or Ateneo taking the No. 3 seat depending on the scores quotient after the quarters.

But Air Force can steer clear of complications with a victory, tagging along Ateneo while leaving Cagayan Valley out of the Final Four picture.

For Cagayan to duplicate its 25-13, 25-22, 25-20 win over Air Force in the elims, Wenneth Eulalio, Angeli Tabaquero, Rose Vargas and Pau Soriano must step up against the Raiders’ power-hitting troika of Maika Ortiz, Joy Casas and Judy Caballejo.

Aiza Maizo, Cagayan’s top hitter, has been dishing out solid games for the Suns but Eulalio and company have struggled at endgames, particularly in their sorry 25-23, 25-18, 16-25, 22-25, 14-16 setback to the Lady Bulldogs last Tuesday.

Despite the spin, Cagayan coach Nes Pamilar remains confident of his wards chances against the Raiders but stressed the need for the Rising Suns to dish out the form that netted them six wins against a loss in the elims.

“The girls must show toughness and killer instinct. They were missing in our last few games,” said Pamilar. “But I’m confident we can still put it all together.”

Meanwhile, the Ateneo-National U match last Thursday will be shown on GMA News TV Channel starting at 1 p.m. today, according to the organizing Sports Vision.

The amazing Lady Eagles, who had a woeful 2-5 stint in the elims, swept their quarters matches to finish with a 7-5 mark and assure themselves of a playoff for the last semifinal berth.