Lady Eagles target semis twice-to-beat vs Bulldogs
Streaking Ateneo tries to zero in on the first twice-to-beat slot in the Final Four while National U seeks to firm up its semis bid as they collide today in the UAAP women’s volleyball tournament at the Fil-Oil Flying V Center in San Juan.
The Lady Bulldogs dealt the Lady Eagles their lone loss in the season, 25-17, 25-13, 19-25, 29-27, last Feb. 8, but the latter have racked up a string of victories to clinch the first semis berth and stay on top of the heap at 9-1.
In contrast, the Lady Bulldogs have struggled, dropping four matches against six wins. Though they remained tied for third with the idle UST Tigresses, the Bustillos-based squad is hard-pressed to come up with a victory in their 4 p.m. encounter as Far Eastern U and University of the Philippines remained in the thick of the semis race with identical 5-5 cards.
In fact, the Lady Maroons are expected to bounce back from a vengeful three-set rout by the La Salle Lady Spikers last Sunday, as they take on winless Adamson U Lady Falcons at 2 p.m.
On an eight-game streak and holding the league’s best record (9-1), Ateneo will bank on playmaker Jia Morado and main hitters Jho Maraguinot, Michelle Morente, Bea de Leon, Kat Tolentino and Ana Gopico, who is given more court time by coach Tai Bundit, whose wards toppled the Lady Tams, 25-20, 25-22, 17-25, 21-25, 15-8, last Saturday.
NU, meanwhile, hammered out a 25-15, 25-21, 22-25, 25-21 win over UE, despite the benching of two liberos in the fourth frame.
Once the Lady Bulldogs figured out their defensive deficiencies, main hitters Jaja Santiago, Risa Sato and Jorelle Singh will have no problem in scoring from Jasmine Nabor’s feeds that could make life hard for the Lady Eagles.