Lady Spikers, Maroons, Falcons aim for No. 2

Games today (Philsports Arena)

8 a.m. – AdU vs UE (Men’s)

10 a.m. – FEU vs Ateneo (Men’s)

2 p.m. – UP vs DLSU (Women’s)

4 p.m. – NU vs AdU (Women’s)

MANILA, Philippines – La Salle, University of the Philippines and Adamson gun for their second straight victories as they hit the court in today’s UAAP Season 78 women’s volleyball tournament at the Philsports Arena.

The Lady Spikers, with former MVP Ara Galang back in harness, and the Lady Maroons tangle at 2 p.m. in an explosive duel for the early lead while the Lady Falcons seek to go 2-0 in the 4 p.m. main fare against a National U side determined to rebound from its opening-day loss to title holder Ateneo.

Also set for the day are the men’s hostilities which will see the defending champion Blue Eagles and Far Eastern U contesting the top spot at 10 a.m. following the 8 a.m. curtain-raiser between Adamson (0-1) and University of the East (0-1).

Galang punched in 10 kills and had five digs and five perfect receptions in her first outing since suffering an ACL and MCL tear on her left knee in the Season 77 semis as DLSU beat the FEU Lady Tams, 29-27, 25-23, 25-20, last Wednesday.

“I feel that I’m 100 percent now,” Galang said in Filipino. “I’m still not contented (with my overall performance) but I’m sure I’ll get back to my pre-injury form in time.”

DLSU assistant coach Benson Bocboc said the Lady Spikers “still have a lot of adjustments to make and need to limit their errors.”

The Lady Maroons kicked off their bid with a 25-20, 25-13, 25-21 victory over University of the East in last Sunday’s opener where rookies Isa Molde, Justine Dorog and Diana Carlos showed promise and blended well with veterans Nicole Tiamzon, Kathy Bersola and Marian Buitre.

“We hope our rookies can fully shake off jitters and settle down especially in this game against La Salle,” said UP mentor Jerry Yee. “We have to limit our service errors and execute well.”

Similarly out to make a followup to their first-game victory – a 25-22, 25-21, 20-25, 28-30, 16-14 squeaker over Santo Tomas – are the Lady Falcons.

Jessica Galanza, who scored 28 points last match, is expected to take the cudgels for the Lady Falcons against Jaja Santiago and the Lady Bulldogs, who are determined to make up after yielding a 21-25, 19-25, 14-25 loss to the three-peat-seeking Ateneo in the opener.

“I’m one of the leaders of the team so I take it my responsibility to do a lot of things on the floor,” said Galanza.