Lyceum, JRU seek icebreaker
Games Today (The Arena, San Juan City) 8 a.m. – CSB vs Ateneo (men’s) 10 a.m. – FEU vs UST (men’s) 4 p.m. – San Beda vs CSB (women’s) 6:30 p.m. – Lyceum vs JRU (women’s)
Lyceum and Jose Rizal University shoot for breakthrough wins today when they square off in the women’s division of the Premier Volleyball League Collegiate Conference at The Arena in San Juan City.
Toting 0-1 and 0-2 win-loss cards in Group A, respectively, the Lady Pirates and the Lady Bombers are hungry to leap into the winner’s circle in their 6:30 p.m. confrontation.
The two squads are coming off straight set defeats against strong contenders, with Lyceum bowing to National University, 25-17, 25-16, 25-21, and JRU succumbing to San Sebastian, 25-23, 2522, 25-21, last week.
Lyceum vows to improve its attacks after a lethargic showing against NU, where they only managed 24 spikes.
Rocelyn Hongria and La Rainne Fabay must double their efforts at the attack line, while setter Cherry Rose Genova has to step up by providing combination plays to destroy JRU’s frail defense.
The Lady Bombers are currently the weakest blockers in the conference.
Apart from stepping up on its defense, JRU, for its part, must also work double time in its offense after averaging only 21 percent on successful attacks.
Shola Alvarez remains JRU’s go-to player, boasting of a No. 9 ranking in the Best Scorer department, but the opposite spiker needs more support from her teammates.
In the men’s division, Ateneo seeks its fourth straight win in as many matches when they collide with winless College of St. Benilde at 8 a.m.
Far Eastern University and University of Santo Tomas, meanwhile, untangle themselves at joint second in their 10 a.m. duel after carrying identical 2-1 records.
Aiming for a three-peat, Ateneo is expected to flash its deadly form anew after currently dominating in Attacks, Serves, Sets, and Receives.
Marck Espejo, Ishmael Rivera, and Ish Polvorosa will be in front of the Eagles’ assault, and will be getting help from Gian Carlo Glorioso and Karl Baysa.
St. Benilde, which is at the bottom standings, is agitated to snap Ateneo’s winning streak while hoping to crawl out of the 0-2 hole following defeats against La Salle and University of the Philippines.