Lady Maroons sink Lady Dolphins, grab solo lead

Games today

12:45 p.m. – Kia Forte vs Navy

3 p.m. – Army vs PLDT Home Ultera

MANILA, Philippines - University of the Philippines displayed grace under pressure and pulled through in a tight finish in the third set, completing a 25-20, 25-22, 27-25 victory over Coast Guard yesterday to grab the solo lead in the Shakey’s V-League Season 12-Reinforced Conference at The Arena in San Juan City.

After snatching a come-from-behind four-set win over the Navy Lady Sailors two weeks ago, the Lady Maroons took command this time and warded off the Lady Dolphins’ series of rallies with clutch hits, including in the extended third frame, to fashion out the 78-minute victory.

Isabel Molde punched in 15 points while Justine Dorog crushed Coast Guard’s defense with 11 hits in a two-set stint and the Lady Maroons pounced on their rivals’ poor reception to pick up 10 aces that helped anchor their second straight victory in the season-ending conference of the league sponsored by Shakey’s and presented by PLDT Home Ultera.

Not only did UP wrest the solo lead from fancied Army and PLDT Home Ultera, it also put the Lady Maroons on course for a crack at one of the semifinal berths in the short single round robin elims among six teams.

UP also virtually knocked Coast Guard off the Final Four race with a third straight defeat in the tournament backed by Mikasa and Accel.

“We just stayed focused especially in critical moments,” said UP coach Jerry Yee, who’s using the tournament as part of the team’s buildup for the UAAP volley wars early next year.

Meanwhile, action heats up today as Army and PLDT Home Ultera collide at 3 p.m. in what could be a preview of the championship, capping another weekend of volley festival where matches are aired live over GMA News TV Channel 11.

Navy and Kia Forte mix it up in the 12:45 p.m. opener of another explosive twinbill in the league where it all started and organized by Sports Vision.

But PLDT will continue to miss the services of Ateneo ace and back-to-back UAAP MVP Alyssa Valdez, who needs two more weeks to heal an upper back pain she sustained during her UAAP beach volley stint last weekend.

UP also kept drawing big games from comebacking leader and noted blocker Katherine Bersola, who chipped in five hits in her second game since being sidelined by an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injury early in the year.

Bersola scored eight points, including four blocks, in UP’s 19-25, 25-23, 25-23, 25-23 win over Navy in the conference inaugurals on Oct. 10.

Skipper Rossan Fajardo paced Coast Guard with nine points but failed to draw solid backup from the rest of the Lady Dolphins with Sam Dawson scoring eight and Mary Rosale and Hyrize Macabuhay adding six hits apiece.