Bullpups, Junior Tigresses eye finals berths in UAAP volleyball

MANILA, Philippines – Defending girls champion National University and University of Santo Tomas seek to forge a Finals rematch against lower ranked semifinals foes Tuesday in the UAAP Season 78 high school volleyball tournament at the Adamson gym.

The top seeded Bullpups take on No. 4 University of the East at 10:30 a.m., while the Junior Tigresses face third-ranked De La Salle-Zobel at 12 p.m.

NU finished the double-round eliminations at 11-1 following its 25-14, 25-21, 25-14 conquest of Far Eastern University-Diliman over the weekend.

UST wound up second with a 10-2 slate after hammering out a 25-21, 25-19, 25-21 win over Adamson University.

The losses bundled the Baby Tamaraws and the Baby Falcons out of the semis race with identical 4-8 records, as the Junior Warriors clinched the last Final Four berth at 5-7 despite a 8-25, 25-20, 8-25, 15-25 defeat to the Junior Lady Spikers.

The Bullpups and the Junior Tigresses are seeking to face off for the title for the third straight season.

NU, meanwhile, bagged the outright championship berth in the boys division after completing a 12-game elimination sweep with a 25-12, 25-14, 25-12 victory over La Salle-Zobel.

UE secured the twice-to-beat bonus in the step-ladder semifinals with a 25-17, 25-17, 25-20 victory over Ateneo, while FEU-Diliman took the No. 3 seed with a 28-26, 25-23, 25-21 dismantling of UST.

The Junior Warriors ended up at 10-2, while the Baby Tamaraws entered the semis for the first time ever with a 8-4 record.

Tied in fourth place at 5-7, the Tiger Cubs and the Blue Eaglets dispute the remaining semifinals berth at 9 a.m. Tuesday.