By Abby Toralba
REIGNING champion National University and De La Salle University are favored to beat their Final Four rivals today and seal a championship showdown in the 85th UAAP women’s volleyball tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Lady Spikers, the top seed in the semis with a twice-to-beat edge, faces the Golden Tigresses of University of Santo Tomas at 1 p.m. while the Lady Bulldogs, the No. 2, battle the Adamson Lady Falcons at 3 o’clock.
The Taft-based Lady Spikers finished the elimination round with a 13-1 record, their best finish in nine years, thanks to the formidable efforts of rookie Angel Canino, skipper Mars Alba, Jolina Dela Cruz, Thea Gagate, Fifi Sharma, and Justine Jazareno, among others.
“Kung ano man iyong dumating, sino man, ready naman kami,” said La Salle assistant coach Noel Orcullo.
UST ended the eliminations with a victory against UP three days ago, sans starting libero Detdet Pepito and Milena Alessandrini, and ended the eliminations with a 10-4 mark.
Team captain Eya Laure, the league’s leading scorer, along with Imee Hernandez, Regina Jurado, Cassie Carballo, and Janna Torres will go into the match raring to score a repeat of their stunning win over the Lady Spikers in the second round to force a do-or-die battle for a finals slot.
National U is focused on keeping title in Sampaloc.
Led by reigning MVP Bella Belen, Alyssa Solomon, Camilla Lamina, Princess Robles, Sheena Toring and Erin Pangilinan, the Lady Bulldogs finished the eliminations with an 11-3 slate for the No. 2 seed in the Final Four.
Adamson breezed past the FEU Lady Tamaraws last Sunday to seal the third seed with a 10-4 card.
Power hitters Kate Santiago and Trisha Tubu, together with skipper Louie Romero, Lucille Almonte, Lorene Toring, and Rizza Cruz are ready to soar for the Lady Falcons, who are out to dethrone the defending champions.
No. 2 seed FEU tangles with fourth-seed DLSU in the men’s stepladder semis at 11 a.m.
FEU and La Salle finished with 8-6 records after the eliminations, with today’s winner advancing against the No. 2 UST Tiger Spikers on Sunday.
The NU Bulldogs, seeking a three-peat, swept their way to the men’s finals by winning all their 14 games in the eliminations.
