DE LA Salle-Lipa and Holy Rosary College of Sta. Rosa pulled through with a pair of tough victories to top Pool B and join fancied Nazareth School of National University and Hope Christian High School in the Final Four of the 18-and-under Rebisco Volleyball League at the Sta. Rosa Multi-Purpose Sports Complex in Laguna last Thursday.
The DLL spikers hung tough then outhit the Bacolod Tay Tung girls at the finish to post a 25-18, 25-19 victory while host HRC held off FEU-Diliman in the second set for a 25-19, 25-23 win, netting them the top two spots in their side of the tournament sponsored by Rebisco with 4-0 slates.
Mirgie Bautista led DLL with 12 points while Alleiah Malaluan added 11 markers for the Lipa City-based school, a perennial title contender in the country’s longest talent-search organized by Metropolitan Sports and Events Group, Inc. headed by Freddie Infante.
“It was a close match but I don’t mind because it helped the girls’ nerves and confidence,” said HRC coach Lerma Giron, who drew nine points from Aliah Marce.
NSNU and HCS also came away with 4-0 records in Pool A with the former, with Faith Nisperos firing seven hits, routing Koronadal National Comprehensive HS, 25-11, 25-14, and the latter, behind Mycah Go’s 10 markers, turning back Holy Family Academy of Pampanga, 25-18, 25-17.
The unbeaten teams were disputing the seedings in the crossover semis at the close of the single round elims at presstime. The Final Four is set at 5 p.m. today (Saturday) with the classification matches firing off at 12 noon.
In other results, University of Mindanao-Tagum edged Leyte National HS, 25-21, 18-25, 25-18, for a 2-2 card while University of San Jose-Recoletos snapped a three-game skid with a 25-17, 25-9 victory over Angelicum Learning Center of Cagayan de Oro.
Rebisco has added girls league in its volley program in its continuing effort to help discover and produce future superstars. The country’s leading snack-food company has earlier sponsored the national team’s participation in the Asian Seniors Women’s Championship in Laguna, the Asian Women’s Volleyball Club Championship in Kazakhstan and the recent smash-hit Battle of the Rivals, which pitted Ateneo against La Salle.