Top seeds Quezon Tangerines and Bacoor Strikers seek to arrange a quick titular showdown against Rizal St. Gerrard Charity Foundation and Biñan Tatak Gel 1-Pacman Partylist, respectively, in the 2024 Maharlika Pilipinas Volleyball Association (MPVA) semifinals on Monday at the Bacoor Strike Gym in Cavite.
Game time is at 2 p.m. between the top-ranked Tangerines and No. 4 Rizal followed by the main game featuring the second-running Strikers at home and the No.3 Volley Angels at 4 p.m.
Quezon and Bacoor sport twice-to-beat incentives after topping the two-round eliminations and they’re out to maximize the advantage in order to set a best-of-three finale date right away for the crown of the MPVA founded by former Senator and also MPBL chairman Manny Pacquiao.
Quezon is an expansion squad in the upstart league but already showed its worth by losing only two games in 16 games against Biñan and Negros in non-bearing match late in the tournament.
That should be more than enough to make the Tangerines the heavy favorite against the No. 4 seed Rizal (11-5), especially with the core of three-peat NCAA champion St. Benilde in Cristy Ondangan, Mary Grace Borromeo, Rhea Mae Densing and Francis Mycah Go leading the way.
Quezon also boasts a 2-0 head-to-head edge over Rizal, which despite being a massive underdog is out to give the No. 1 squad a run for its own money to force a deciding Game 2.
The Tangerines yielded only one set to Rizal in two encounters, 25-21, 25-20, 25-23 and 25-14, 27-29, 25-19, 25-14.
It’s the same story in the other semis pairing with Bacoor (12-4) sweeping their two meetings against Biñan (11-5) with hopes of doing it one more time to advance in the finals of MPVA backed Extreme One-Stop Shop Appliances, ASICS, Mikasa and Gerflor with MPTV and Outcomm as broadcast partners.
The University of Perpetual Help System Dalta-backed Strikers, who scored 25-19, 25-23, 25-20 and 20-25, 25-22, 25-16, 21-25, 15-3 win over the Volley Angels, will also have a homecourt advantage to bank on to get the job done.
Cyrille Joie Alemeniana, Jemalyn Menor, Camille Bustamante and Winnie Bedana have been tasked to lead the way for Bacoor opposite the Biñan quartet of Erika Jin Deloria, May Ann Nuique, Zenneth Irene Perolino and Jen Kylene Villegas.
Bacoor ruled the inaugural but shorter edition last year before the first full and home-and-away season of the MPVA organized by the Volleyball Masters of the Philippines.
Games on Monday (Bacoor Strike Gym, Cavite)
2 p.m. – Quezon vs Rizal
4 p.m. – Bacoor vs Biñan
