University of Perpetual Help System DALTA and College of Saint Benilde go all-out for a repeat of their Game One feats against Far Eastern U and University of the East, respectively on Friday as they try to arrange a showdown for V-League Women’s Collegiate Challenge championship at the Paco Arena in Manila.
The Lady Altas upended the top-seeded Lady Tamaraws in a thriller of a duel, 25-21, 28-26, 26-24, in their best-of-three series opener last Wednesday with the Las Piñas-based squad confident but wary of the latter’s threat in their 10 a.m. encounter.
“Gusto ko lang maging consistent pa sila sa loob ng game. Mabawasan pa ‘yung errors. Ako kasi as a coach gusto kong mas maging perfect, pero if hindi naman pwedeng mangyari, bawasan na lang. Nakita ko naman ‘yun kanina,” said Perpetual Help coach Sandy Rieta on what the Lady Altas must to score another win and advance to the finals of the tournament organized by Sports Vision.
Reigning NCAA MVP Mary Rhose Dapol, whose 13-hit, nine excellent digs and eight receptions helped power Perpetual Help past FEU, is again expected to lead the team’s assault and draw FEU’s defense in an attempt to give the other Lady Altas scoring opportunities.
But expect the Lady Tamaraws to deliver their counter-punch with Kezia Bedonia and Faida Bakanke hoping to get the support from the rest of the squad lacking in their previous outing.
On the other hand, the Lady Blazers, last season’s bronze medalists, shoot for a season sweep against the UE Lady Warriors in a 12 noon clash also tipped to go down-to-the-wire.
Clo Mondeñedo will again stand at the forefront of CSB’s attack as the Lady Blazers aim to score a follow-up to their 25-22, 25-13, 25-12 win over UE and Caseiy Dongallo last Wednesday and seal their stint in the finals of the tournament sponsored by Bola.TV, Beyond Active Wear, and Mikasa.
The men’s action is also expected to stir up interest with University of Santo Tomas and Ateneo de Manila University setting out against FEU and De La Salle, respectively, with the same goal – notch another win and forge a title showdown in their side of the battle.
GBoy De Vega and the rest of the Golden Spikers will go for a back-to-back Finals stint as they take on Dryx Saavedra and the Tamaraws at 2 p.m. while Jian Salarzon and the Blue Eagles will look for a third straight win and a season sweep against JM Ronquillo and the Green Spikers in the 4 p.m. main dish.