De La Salle University and University of Santo Tomas seek to outhit and outsmart each other in chase of a big head-start in a short title series as Game One of the V-League Men’s Collegiate Challenge Finals fires off Wednesday at the Paco Arena in Manila.
The Green Spikers toppled the Golden Spikers, 26-28, 25-18, 28-26, 25-21, in their elims face-off but the Finals is an entirely different phase where emphasis could vary in every stretch of play, requiring each team, particularly the opposing coaches, to come up with ploys that could startle the other’s play patterns.
“Eliminations are eliminations; Finals are different. May aangat, may bababa, it’s a matter of mental game na lang talaga, because physically we are both ready. Andon na ‘yung factor ‘kung sino ‘yung may mas gusto talaga,” said De La Salle top outside hitter JM Ronquillo.
The Green Spikers battled back from one game down in the semis to stun arch rivals Ateneo Blue Eagles while the Golden Spikers trounced the Far Eastern U Tams in their side of the semis playoff.
Sharing the spotlight are FEU and Saint Benilde which mount their own battle for the women’s tiara in the tournament organized by Sports Vision and sponsored by Bola.TV Beyond Active Wear, and Mikasa.
Gametime is at 2 p.m.
The Lady Tamaraws had to go through some anxious moments before repulsing the Perpetual Help Lady Altas in three games in the semis while the Lady Blazers swept the University of the East Lady Warriors.
For setter Tin Ubaldo and the rest of the FEU squad, winning the V-League title will be a huge achievement, saying, “Malaking boost siya kasi may times na medyo hesistant kami, hindi kami naniniwalang kaya namin. Pero ‘pag nakuha namin ‘tong title na ‘to, sasagi sa isip namin na kaya namin.”
Meanwhile, Ateneo and FEU clash for the bronze in the men’s division at 10 a.m., while University of the East and Perpetual Help dispute third place honors in women’s play at 12 noon.