UNIVERSITY of the Philippines and San Beda knock each other out in a spirited chase for the two semifinal berths among four teams in a key Premier Volleyball League Collegiate Conference women’s match at the Filoil Flying V Center in San Juan.
Toting identical 2-1 slates, the Lady Maroons and the Red Spikers face-off at 4 p.m. in what promises to be a highly-charged duel of teams seeking to join the idle Arellano Chiefs at second in Group B of the two-division tournament, the season-ending conference of the country’s premier volley league organized by Sports Vision.
Adamson paces the six-team field with a 3-0 card hoping to formalize its claim on the first semis slot against winless St. Benilde on Monday.
Ateneo and San Sebastian also tangle in a crucial Group A match at 6:30 p.m. with the Lady Eagles seeking solo second at 3-1 and the Lady Stags trying to revive its semis hopes at 2-2.
The two teams from each side will advance to the crossover semis, a pair of best-of-three playoffs, with the winners disputing the crown in another best-of-three affair.
The Lady Maroons dropped a heartbreak of a five-setter to the Lady Falcons last Sept. 4 but swept the TIP Lady Engineers and the St. Benilde Lady Blazers to wheel back into contention in the league backed by Mikasa and Asics.
San Beda, on the other hand, went on a win-loss-win run but hopes to score its first back-to-back victories behind Aurea Racraquin, Nieva Viray, Satrriani Espiritu, Jiezela Viray and playmaker Rebecca Cuevas.
But the Lady Maroons look to have gained some momentum and confidence from their twin shutout wins with Diana Carlos, Marian Buitre, Isa Molde, Justine Dorog and setter Rose Mary Cailing expected to their charge again.
Both matches can be viewed live via streaming on www.sports.abs-cbn.com/livesteram/pvl.
Meanwhile, arch rivals Ateneo and La Salle square off in the men’s division at 10 a.m. with the Eagles, in the semis with a 5-0 card, trying to stretch their win run.
The Archers, on the other hand, need a win to boost their 3-2 card heading to the crucial stretch of the single round elims.
National U (2-2) and UP (1-3) tangle in the other men’s match at 8 a.m.
