Ateneo, NU dispute volleyball crowns

Games today 12:45 p.m. – NU vs Ateneo

(V-League finals) 3 p.m. – Ateneo vs NU

(Spikers’ Turf finals)

Ateneo and National U start their best-of-three series in the Shakey’s V-League and Spikers’ Turf Collegiate Conferences today at The Arena in San Juan City.

Focus will be on the Lady Eagles-Lady Bulldogs duel, a dream title match between two teams that dominated the mid-season conference of the league sponsored by Shakey’s.

Though Ateneo went through a wringer before thwarting a stubborn UST side in their bestof-three semifinal clash, the Lady Eagles remain the slight favorites against the Lady Bulldogs when Game One is played beginning at 12:45 p.m. today.

The Ateneo-NU volley rivalry also spills into the Spikers’ Turf as the Eagles and Bulldogs clash in the opener of their own best-of-three series starting at 3 p.m.

Both games can also be viewed live via streaming on www.vleague.ph, according to the organizing Sports Vision.

In the Shakey’s V-League, Ateneo boasts of the league’s scoring leader whose power and class are unmatched and a reliable crew ready to step up in what promises to be a fiercely fought series presented by PLDT Home Ultera.

But the Lady Bulldogs are all primed up for another title crack, overpowering the Far Eastern U Lady Tams in their side of the Final Four. NU also holds a 1-0 edge in its finals duel with Ateneo, upending the Loyola-based squad in sudden death in Season 10 championship backed by Mikasa and Accel.

But NU coach Roger Gorayeb will have to plug the hole left by ace guest player and former stalwart Dindin Santiago-Manabat, who is still with the Petron team in an Asian club tournament in Vietnam and will only be able to re-join the team in next week’s Game Two.

Meanwhile, Bernadeth Pons and Jovelyn Gonzaga scored 16 and 11 points, respectively, as FEU outplayed UST, 25-17, 25-17, 10-25, 25-20, in Game 1 of their best-of-three series for third place in V-League.

In the Spikers’ Turf battle for third place, Howard Mojica fired 21 points as EAC crushed NCBA, 25-18, 25-12, 25-14, in Game 1.