USPF, SWU battle for Cesafi girls volleyball title
The University of Southern Philippines- Foundation (USPF) Baby Panthers overcame the determined University of San Jose Recoletos (USJ-R) Baby Jaguars, 25-22, 25-21, 25-18, to advance to the championship round of the 2017 Cebu Schools Athletic Association Inc. (Cesafi) girls’ volleyball tournament at the USP-F gym yesterday.
The Baby Panthers will face the Southwestern University (SWU-Phinma) Baby Cobras in the best-of-three championship match next week.
The Baby Panthers finished the single-round robin semis with a clean 3-0 slate, while SWU-Phinma has a 2-1 card after a win over the University of Cebu (UC), 2225, 25-20, 25-23.
The girls’ Baby Jaguars started the game with urgency as they needed to win by straight sets against the Baby Panthers to get three points and catch up in the point system.
USJ-R had a fiery 13-1 blitz to take a 13-8 lead early in the first set. USPF retaliated with four straight points anchored by three hits by Mitzi Panangin to inch closer, 12-14.
USJ-R’s Sheila Mae Kiseo scored three crucial hits to end the first set, 25-22, in their favor.
The Baby Panthers bounced back as they weathered the attacks of Baby Jaguars to take the closely- contested second set, 25-21.
USPF’s Jum Gayo scored an ace followed by Anna Marie Cuerbo’s drop shot to take a two-point lead, 15-13. USPF followed it up with a 6-1 run to erect the lead, 21-14.
But USJ-R did not buck without fighting as they answered with their own 6-1 run to bring down the gap to two, 20-22, before USPF put up three straight points from the hit of Malaika Gala and the defense from the blockers.
USP-F continued its dominance in the third set to end the game, 25-18.
“I’m very satisfied with the performance of my players. They played hard,” said USPF head coach Yolanda Rizarri. “The team still has work to do as we face SWU in the finals. We need to overcome them. Although we have won against them (SWU) in the elimination and semis, we will work for it in the finals,” she said.
In the boys’ division, it will be SWU-Phinma against University of San Carlos (USC) in the best-ofthree championship.
The SWU-Phinma ended the semis with clean 3-0 slate with a 22-25, 25-20, 25-23 win against UC. USC had a 2-1 card after beating USP-F, 26-24, 25-20./