Lady Eagles seek semis vs Falcons

MANILA, Philippines - Ateneo tries to formalize its stint in the semifinal round as it takes on an embattled Adamson side today even as National U and University of St. La Salle-Bacolod knock each other out in the quarterfinals of the ninth Shakey’s V-League Presented by Smart at The Arena in San Juan.

The Lady Eagles swept the Lady Stingers last Sunday to assure themselves of at least playoff for a semis seat with a pacesetting 4-0 slate, matched by the former six-time defending champion University of Santo Tomas.

But the Tigresses needed to toughen up in the fourth set to foil the gritty Far Eastern U Lady Tams side, 25-19, 25-16, 24-26, 25-16, and keep their unbeaten slated in the league sponsored by Shakey’s Pizza.

Meanwhile, the Lady Falcons, bannered by former MVP Nene Bautista and Pau Soriano, will surely go all-out for a victory not only to stop the Eagles’ run but more importantly to keep their semifinal hopes in the tournament backed by Mikasa and Accel.

With a 1-3 mark, Adamson, which dropped a close three-setter to Perpetual Help, also last Sunday, is in fifth behind Perpetual Help (3-1) and San Sebastian College (2-1) and must sweep its last three games to remain in the race.

Gametime is at 4 p.m.

Equally interesting is the 2 p.m. clash between NU and USLS in a duel of winless squads with the winner keeping its flickering Final Four chances alive. 

Ateneo, led by Dzi Gervacio, Fille Cainglet, Alyssa Valdez and Thai import Phee Nok Kesinee, is looking good at this stage of its title-retention campaign with the Lady Eagles itching to pile up another victory as they brace for two tough matches – against the SSC Lady Stags on Thursday and the fancied Tigresses on Sunday.

Today’s twinbill will be aired on a delayed basis starting at 7 tonight on AKTV-13. The matches, however, can be viewed on live streaming on www.v-league.ph.