Tagum spikers rule Shakey’s GVL elims

MANILA, Philippines - Tagum City National High School fought back from an opening set setback and swept the next three as it toppled Davao City, 23-25, 25-16, 25-15, 25-20, to cop the Shakey’s Girls’ Volleyball League’s Southern Mindanao leg crown at the Davao Doctors College gym in Davao City recently.

The victory netted the Tagum tossers a berth in the Shakey’s Volleyball League of Champions, formerly the Tournament of Champions, where they will join the top finishers of the other regional elims slated in January next year.

On their way to the finals, Tagum routed Holy Cross College of Sasa, 25-11, 25-16, while Davao held off Ateneo de Davao U, 25-21, 25-20.

Ateneo thwarted Holy Cross, 25-23, 25-23, and took the bronze in the event, organized by Metro Sports and backed by Mikasa, Asics, Volley Prep and Millenia Suites.

Tagum and Ateneo topped Pool A, which included Maa National High School, Koronadal National Comprehensive HS and Cor Jesu College, while Davao and Holy Cross ruled Pool B that also drew Daniel R. Aguinaldo National HS, Notre Dame of Cotabato, and University of the Immaculate Conception.

Iligan City National High School and St. John’s Institute nailed the first two slots in the League of Champions with the former besting a host of others to rule the Northern Mindanao leg and the latter topping the Western Visayas stage.

Meanwhile, Metro Sports’ Johanz Buenvenida, also the SGVL tournament director, said keen competition is seen in the Central and Eastern Visayas legs, which got underway Tuesday at the Aznar Coliseum in Cebu City and in Tacloban City where the University of San Jose Recoletos and Leyte National HS are defending their respective titles.

Teams from New Zealand, Australia, the US and Bangladesh will spice up the action in the League of Champions where they will join the regional winners of the event that has produced the country’s top players, led by 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.