GAMES SUNDAY (The Arena, San Juan)
12 noon--Ateneo vs. Lyceum
2 p.m.--San Sebastian vs. Adamson

MANILA, Philippines--The match was hanging in the balance when Ateneo's Patricia Taganas dropped to the floor in an effort to stop another powerful smash from San Sebastian's Thai import Jaroensri Bualee. Taganas' teammate, Karla Bello, then made a reflex set to pave the way for a Phanusit Em-Orn kill. And just like that, Ateneo stole what could have been a lost rally.

There were many of those momentum-shifting kills Friday--including that smash from Em-Orn in the fifth set--as the Lady Eagles clawed their way back from a set down twice to edge San Sebastian, 14-25, 25-19, 22-25, 25-22, 15-13, and stay in the hunt for the finals berth in the Shakey's V-League Season 5 before a big crowd at The Arena in San Juan.

The Lady Pirates of Lyceum also put in extra effort on defense to subdue Adamson University, 25-23, 25-22, 18-25, 25-22, and keep their championship hopes alive in the first game.

"I'm very, very happy," said Ateneo coach Michelle Laborte, whose team has won six of its last seven games in a run that dates back to the quarterfinal round. "The Lord heard our prayers. It was our best performance, especially on the defensive end."

"The communication, teamwork was there," added Laborte. "My players never stopped trying. We showed everyone that this was our court."

The four semifinalists now have identical 1-1 cards, forging a pair of knockout matches on Sunday when Lyceum and Ateneo dispute the first finals berth at 12 noon, before the 2 p.m. Adamson-San Sebastian tiff.

Em-Orn, the 18-year-old import from Bangkok, Thailand, scored eight of her 33 points in the fifth set. Her smash down the center after Bualee had recovered the ball with her foot gave the Lady Eagles match point, 14-12, before another trademark spike that bounced off Rysabelle Devanadera and went out of bounds completed the upset in an hour and 49 minutes.

Bualee fired a game-high 36 points but the power in her spikes in the fifth set was neutralized by Ateneo, which tapped two or three blockers to stop her. Putting emphasis on the Eagles' approach were Ma. Carmina Acevedo and Misha Quimpo, whose double coverage on Bualee put the Eagles ahead, 13-8, in the deciding set.

"We knew that our chances of winning were great if we stop Bualee," said Laborte, who drew 14 points each Charo Soriano and Acevedo.

Jinni Mondejar registered 15 points, while teammates Laurence Ann Latigay and Devanadera added 11 for San Sebastian, which lost for only the second time in the tournament.

Lyceum coach Emiliano Lontoc said he took his players to task for their lackluster performance against San Sebastian last Tuesday, 16-25, 19-25, 16-25.

"I rarely get angry with them [my players], but I felt the need to do so after the loss to San Sebastian," he said. "That loss was our worst performance this season and I'm happy they responded with this victory".

The Lady Pirates conjured one defensive gem after another and turned them into attacks that caught Adamson by surprise.