Tigresses complete Final 4 in Shakey’s V-League

MANILA, Philippines - University of Santo Tomas drew strength from Maika Ortiz’s power game as it turned back a feisty Perpetual Help, 21-25, 25-18, 25-22, 19-25, 15-11, yesterday to complete the blockbuster Final Four cast in the Shakey’s V-League Season 10 First Conference at The Arena in San Juan City.

Ortiz exploded with 23 hits, including a number of stinging attacks in the decider, which the Tigresses dominated early, 5-0, before the six-time champions thwarted the Lady Altas’ series of comebacks to wrap up the near two-hour encounter and match the National U Lady Bulldogs’ sweep of Group I at the close of the unique quarterfinal format.

With a 3-0 slate, UST topped Group 2 to arrange a semis clash with back-to-back defending champion Ateneo, which wound up second in Group I, in the crossover semis, a best-of-three affair starting May 14. National U and Adamson, which finished second to UST with a 2-1 mark, clash in the other marquee Final Four showdown.

Aiza Maizo and Carmela Tunay, both coming off a bout with fever, contributed 12 and 10 hits, respectively, while Jessey de Leon and Pam Lastimosa combined for 21 points for the Tigresses.

“Aiza and Carmela were sick the day before but they contributed in some ways that really helped us,” said UST coach Odjie Mamon.

Judy Caballejo and Maruja Banaticla, who teamed up to finish second in the Nestea Beach Volley event in Boracay last month, finally saw action late in the match. The duo failed to score but succeeded in inspiring the rest of the team to the crucial victory.

Meanwhile, to accommodate the expected big number of fans, the organizing Sports Vision and sponsoring Shakey’s will hold the semifinal round and the championship at bigger venues at the Philsports Arena in Pasig and the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.

The first semis games will be held at the Philsports Arena while the MOA Arena will host the next semis playdate on May 16 and back at Philsports on May 19 for a possible Game 3.
The first two games of the finals will be played at the MOA Arena on May 23 and May 26. The sudden death, if necessary, is set at Philsports on June 2.

The Arena in San Juan, the league’s home, had to turn back close to 2,000 fans in last Sunday’s playdate which pitted UST vs Adamson and Ateneo vs National U, which drew a jampacked crowd, prompting the organizers to hold the semis and the finals at the Philsports and MOA Arena for an expected record turnout.

It was a sorry setback for Perpetual, the reigning NCAA champion, which came back strong in the fourth to force a decider after a pair of erratic performances that hastened their downfall in the second and third frames.

But the Tigresses surprised the Lady Altas with a strong start in the fifth, racking up the first five points which they used as a cushion to thwart their rivals’ repeated comebacks, the last at 11-14.

Earlier, Arellano University pulled off a tough 25-22, 25-17, 26-28, 25-22 victory over La Salle-Dasmariñas to close out its maiden season with a joint fifth place finish.

Nerissa Bautista unloaded 25 hits, including 22 kills, while fellow former MVP Mary Jean Balse added 17 attacks for a 19-point output. Elaine Sagun chipped in 15 hits for the Lady Chiefs, who also drew 30 excellent sets from ace Diane Ticar.

Jen Manzano and Monique Tiangco scored 14 points apiece for La Salle-Dasma, which also got a combined 22-point output from Iari Yongco and Mariebeth Lara, as the Lady Patriots wound up with a 0-3 card, the same slate by former two-time champion San Sebastian College.