ONE streak will be broken today (Wednesday) as UST and Letran collide in a key matchup between two surging teams in the V-League Collegiate Men’s Challenge at Paco Arena in Manila.
Both squads, after dropping their first two matches, have rebounded with back-to-back victories, setting up an intense 12 noon showdown with a share of third place with the idle National U Bulldogs on the line.
The Golden Spikers, last season’s UAAP silver medalists, will rely heavily on the performances of JJ Macam and Gboy de Vega, while the Knights, who secured third place in the previous NCAA season, will bank on Vince Himzon and John Bautista to lead their charge.
As both teams look to capitalize on their strengths, they’ll also be keen to exploit each other’s weaknesses.
“Yung weaknesses namin, kailangan mapag-aralan, at the same time, yung strengths namin dapat mas ma-intensify pa namin, at yung weakness ng kalaban dapat ma-pinpoint namin,” said UST lead assistant coach Benjamin Mape.
In the other men’s match at 2 p.m., University of Perpetual Help System Dalta will look to bounce back from a tough five-set loss to UST as the Altas face the winless Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals.
Led by Kobe Tabuga and Jefferson Marapoc, the Altas aim to join the winner of the UST-Letran clash in boosting their playoff aspirations.
The Generals, meanwhile, hope to snap their four-game losing streak, relying on Mark Palatino and Jan Abor.
In the lone women’s encounter, University of the East square off against Lyceum of the Philippines University at 5 p.m.
Both teams have struggled this season with the Lady Warriors, led by KC Cepada and Kayce Balingit, winning their first match but losing the next two.
The Lady Pirates, on the other hand, are still in search of their first victory in four matches and will lean on Joan Doguna and Stacey Lopez in their bid to break into the winning column.
Games will be aired live on Solar Sports, vleague.ph/live, and the V-League’s YouTube channel.
Games Wednesday
12 noon – Letran vs UST (men’s)
2 p.m. – Perpetual Help vs EAC (men’s)
5 p.m. – Lyceum vs UE (women’s)
