MANILA, Philippines - Far Eastern University and Adamson University beat their respective rivals to firm up their bids in women’s volleyball Final Four in UAAP Season 74 at The Arena in San Juan last Sunday.
In a duel between the winningest volleyball teams in the league, FEU toppled University of Santo Tomas, 23-25, 25-20, 25-23, 25-23, while Adamson breezed past University of the Philippines, 25-15, 25-9, 25-23.
The Lady Tamaraws and the Lady Falcons improved to 6-4 records, half a game ahead of fifth-running Tigresses (5-4), who are still in the hunt for the fourth and last seat in the semifinals.
In other fronts, La Salle continued to show the way in women’s tennis, while Ateneo kept its domination in baseball.
The Lady Archers matched their male counterparts’ sweep of the first round as they nipped the Lady Eagles, 3-2, at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.
Reigning MVP Reggie Santiago blanked Bea Santos, 6-0, 6-0, in the decisive third singles to snatch the win, their third straight, for the Lady Archers.
Martina Guba also whitewashed Isabelle Lim, 6-0, 6-0, in the opening singles while Trudy Amoranto and Kirstie Barraquias downed Nikki Angelo and Jessica Lagman, 6-1, 6-1, for De La Salle’s other triumphs in the tie.
University of the Philippines also edged University of Santo Tomas, 3-2, for the Lady Maroons’ second win in three games. The Tigresses dropped to 1-2.
At the nearby Rizal Memorial diamond, Ateneo moved closer to a first-round sweep after posting an 8-1 victory over UST in baseball.
The Blue Eagles settled the issue in the eighth inning where it scored five runs courtesy of Charles Altomonte, Adriane Bernardo, Luke Bernardo, Matt Laurel and Charles Catangui.
The Blue Eagles, seeking their first baseball crown, close out their first round campaign against the Green Archers on Thursday.
In other baseball matches, National University beat Adamson, 2-0, enabling the Bulldogs to tie the Growling Tigers’ record of 2-2. The Falcons slid to 1-3.
In men’s football at the Ateneo field, UST blanked Ateneo, 2-0, to seize the solo lead with seven points on a 2-1-0 (win-draw-loss) record.
De La Salle and Far Eastern University played to a 1-1 draw, while UP and University of the East wound up with a scoreless draw in the other men’s matches.
In women’s football, UST kept the lead with five points on a 1-2-0 record following a 1-1 draw with defending champion FEU. In the other match, UP and De La Salle played to a scoreless draw.