Shakey's V-League

[eightyfiver]

May volleyball or volleybelle fans ba dito?

Waiting na po ang UST sa Finals

Tigresses enter V-League finals; SSC, La Salle stay alive


By Romina Austria
Inquirer

Posted date: June 27, 2007


MANILA, Philippines -- University of Santo Tomas needed to accomplish two things to make the finals -- beat De La Salle University and not allow the Lady Archers to score more than 53 points.

The Tigresses did both Tuesday, downing the defending champion Lady Archers, 25-14, 25-21, 25-17, and limiting their total score to just 52 points at The Arena in San Juan City.

UST thus clinched the first finals ticket of the Shakey’s V-League women’s volleyball tournament by virtue of a better quotient than San Sebastian College which stopped Lyceum of the Philippines in the first match, 26-24, 25-16, 25-23.

UST and SSC ended the carryover semifinal round with 8-3 slates but the Tigresses registered a higher won-lost points ratio, 1.146 to the Lady Stags’ 1.144.

Lyceum bowed out of the finals race after a 5-0 start, winning just one of its four semis matches for an overall 7-4 card.

San Sebastian and La Salle will dispute the second finals berth on Thursday at 5 p.m. The loser plays Lyceum for third place.

It will be La Salle’s second knockout game after beating Adamson University on June 14 for the fifth and last semis seat, 19-25, 18-25, 25-22, 26-24, 15-6.

La Salle finished the semis at 6-5 but edged Lyceum for the playoff slot three victories out of four semis games, an incentive given to inspire the lower-ranked squads at the end of the eliminations to still aspire for a title slot.

UST beat La Salle for the title in the inaugural season but bowed to the Lady Archers in the first and second conferences of 2005. La Salle won its third straight V-League crown last year over San Sebastian.

Ma. Angeli Tabaquero, Mary Jean Balse and 2006 UAAP Most Valuable Player Venus Bernal, all National players, lead UST’s attack with a combined output of 44 points.

Only guest Thai player Sanorseang Areerat scored in double figures for La Salle, making 10.

The best-of-three championship begins Sunday, July 1.

[Sam Miguel]

Any idea how our Ateneo Volleybelles fared? I know they were near the bottom but judging by recent news reports it didn't seem that bad?

[eightyfiver]

^^ The Lady Eagles reached the semifinals. Unfortunately, they dropped all their games in the semis.
Among their pretty players were Soriano, Pascual and Taganas. These are among the few reasons for watching these girls play live. ;D

It's SSC-R vs UST in the Finals on Sunday.

Lady Stags rip Lady Archers, gain finals


Inquirer

Posted date: June 29, 2007


GAMES ON SUNDAY
2 p.m. -- Lyceum vs La Salle (for third)
5 p.m. -- UST vs SSC (best-of-3 for title)
MANILA, Philippines -- San Sebastian College ended De La Salle University’s reign in the Shakey’s V-League volleyball tournament Thursday night, pulling off a 25-18, 23-25, 25-21, 25-22 victory to arrange a showdown with University of Santo Tomas for the crown at The Arena in San Juan.

Thai import Jaroensri Bualee and Laurence Ann Latigay combined for 58 points as they neutralized La Salle’s vaunted frontline with their quick plays and ferocious attacks and gained a second straight championship appearance.

The victory also avenged SSC’s setback to La Salle in last conference’s finale that stretched the Lady Archers’ title romp to three in this tournament sponsored by Shakey’s Pizza and organized by Sports Vision.

Game One of the best-of-three title series, backed by Mikasa, Accel, Jaemark’s Restaurant and Smart Buddy, is set on Sunday at 4 p.m.

La Salle and Lyceum of the Philippines dispute third place honors at 2 p.m.

San Sebastian, which lost the No. 1 spot in the final to UST by the thinnest of margins in the tiebreak, 1.146-1.144 despite a 3-0 sweep of Lyceum in the last semis game Tuesday, seized control early as Bualee and Latigay alternated in hammering out powerful kills that pierced La Salle’s defense.

The Lady Archers battled back in the second set behind Thai import Sanorseang Areerat and Michelle Datuin.

The Lady Stags regrouped, however, and reasserted their mastery over the Taft-based squad in the third set before holding off their rivals with timely hits from Bualee and Latigay.

Rysabelle Devanadera and Jinni Mondejar tossed in seven points apiece for San Sebastian while Joy Pulido added six for the Lady Stags of coach Roger Gorayeb.

UST, which blanked La Salle to gain the outright berth in the final, is eyeing a successful return to the league after skipping the last conference following the graduation of its key players.

Areerat and Datuin finished with 14 and 11 attacks and conspired for seven blocks for a combined 32-point output while Carla Llaguno chipped in 10 points for La Salle, which had to nip Adamson University to gain the last semis seat.

[Wang-Bu]

Magaling pa din ba si Dahlia Cruz ng Lyceum o wala na siya dun?

[eightyfiver]

oo, kasama pa rin siya.

[eightyfiver]

UST takes Game 1 of V-League finals
By Romina Austria
Inquirer

Posted date: July 02, 2007


GAME TUESADAY (The Arena)
5 p.m. -- San Sebastian vs UST (Game 2)
MANILA, Philippines -- University of Santo Tomas showed no mercy at San Sebastian College Sunday as it scored a 25-17, 25-12, 25-17 win in Game 1 of the Shakey’s V-League women’s volleyball tournament best-of-three finals at the jampacked The Arena in San Juan City.

Egged on by the pro-UST crowd, the Tigresses’ vaunted frontline defense did not allow any Lady Stag to score in double figures as they foiled 58 San Sebastian tries.

Venus Bernal, last year’s UAAP Most Valuable Player, made a game-high 19 points, taking over the scoring chores from fellow national team member Mary Jean Balse, who played despite a flu and still managed to contribute 12 points.

Eighteen-year-old Angeli Tabaquero was also a revelation for the league’s inaugural champion, escaping with nine points, six of them off digs.

The Lady Stags’ guest Thai player Jaroensri Bualee, named tournament MVP and Best Scorer before Game 1 started, could only come up with eight points.

The Tigresses will go for the championship starting at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, also at The Arena.

Earlier, Lyceum of the Philippines beat erstwhile three-time defending champion De La Salle University for third place honors, 25-19, 25-23, 25-19.

UST coach Augusto Santamaria confessed that he was not too confident at the start of the game due to Balse and guest player Rubie de Leon’s flu.

But as it turned out, San Sebastian had bigger problems with 2006 NCAA MVP Jinni Mondejar likely out of the Finals series after undergoing an operation for appendicitis last Friday.

Mondejar was already feeling stomach pains during their Thursday playoff match against La Salle, where she only played three sets in their 25-18, 23-25, 25-21, 25-22 victory that gave the Lady Stags the second finals seat.

“We’re not yet champions,” said Santamaria of the title chances of his wards, who also happen to be the defending UAAP champions. “We have to win one more. We’ll do our best on Tuesday.”

San Sebastian put up a semblance of a fight in the third set, reducing a 22-10 deficit to just 22-17, but Tabaquero soared for a block that broke the Lady Stags’ momentum while Bernal scored the game’s last two points.

Aside from Bualee, other individual awardees were Balse (Best Attacker), Ateneo de Manila University guest player Michelle Laborte (Best Blocker) and Karla Bello (Best Server), San Sebastian libero Margarita Pepito (Best Digger) and guest player Ma. Teresa Iratay (Best Setter) and Lyceum libero Shella Marga (Best Receiver).

[Howard the Duck]

wala ba sa lineup si denise tan?

[eightyfiver]

Nasa line-up si Denise kaya lang nabangko na siya during the semis, in favor of the veteran setter Rubie de Leon(guest player).

Anyway Congrats to champs, the UST Tigresses


Ailing stars spark UST title romp

By Romina Austria
Inquirer
Last updated 04:35am (Mla time) 07/04/2007


MANILA, Philippines -- It was not what the doctor ordered for University of Santo Tomas but it nevertheless produced the championship crown for the Tigresses in the 4th Shakey’s V-League women’s volleyball tournament.

Mary Jean Balse, afflicted with the flu since the weekend, powered the Tigresses past the San Sebastian College Lady Stags, 25-14, 25-19, 17-25, 25-13, Tuesday night to complete a two-game title sweep at The Arena in San Juan City.

Team officials, however, had to plead with UST Hospital doctors to allow Balse and guest player Suzanne Roces for the all-important Game 2. Angeli Tabaquero also manifested flu symptoms.

UST won the first two sets with relative ease but relaxed on defense in the third, allowing San Sebastian to delay the celebration.

Starring guest Thai player and league Most Valuable Player Jaroensri Bualee, the Lady Stags erected a 7-0 lead in the third set, increased it to 10-8 and never allowed UST to tie to extend the match to a fourth set.

The Tigresses pulled away early in the deciding set, with Balse, Venus Bernal and guest player Rubie de Leon scoring on attacks, and built a 10-5 lead from which the Lady Stags never recovered.

“I told my players that once we get the ball, San Sebastian will have a hard time,” said UST coach Augusto Santamaria. “They took it easy in the third set, so I had to remind them to get back on defense, especially on blocking.”

UST also took Game 1, 25-17, 25-12, 25-17, last Sunday.

The Tigresses, also the defending UAAP champions, arrived at The Arena 30 minutes before the 5 p.m. game as they had to wait for the doctor’s release orders on Balse and Roces.
Balse, despite dizziness that prompted Santamaria to pull her out of the match several times, still managed 24 points while Roces had 7. Bernal made 18 while Tabaquero and Aiza Maizon chipped in nine points apiece.

Immediately after the match, Balse and Roces were brought to the locker room to rest.

Bualee led San Sebastian with 24 points.

Fr. Ermito de Sagon, OP, UST’s athletic director and this year’s UAAP president, had nothing but praises for his wards, especially Balse and Roces.

“This is definitely a good sign for our UAAP campaign,” said De Sagon, who acted as team photographer during the awarding rites. “The V-League is part of our preparation and we are glad to come out on top.”

The Lady Stags tied the Tigresses’ 8-3 record at the end of the semifinals but was relegated to a playoff match with De La Salle University for the second finals slot because of an inferior quotient.