MANILA—Newcomer Maynilad and Perpetual Help dispute the last quarterfinal berth even as Army seeks a repeat win over Navy in the Shakey’s V-League Season 8 Open Conference at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan.
After finishing the elimination round with similar 1-5 records, the Water Dragons and Lady Altas take the floor at 2 p.m. in a knockout match that will determine the sixth and last team that will join San Sebastian, Army, Navy, Air Force and Ateneo in the next round.
Maynilad barely survived Perpetual Help in their initial duel, needing to win 30-28 in the fifth set in one of the longest games in league history.
That turned out to be the Water Dragons’ lone victory so far in the tournament as they lost four straight to end the eliminations.
The Lady Altas are hoping to ride an impressive three-set victory over Navy last Friday that kept them alive in the quarterfinal race.
Army is hoping to bounce back from a five-set loss to San Sebastian last Thursday. But Navy is also out to atone for its lethargic performance against Perpetual Help, setting the stage for what could be an explosive showdown between the league’s powerhouses.
Michelle and Marietta Carolino will spearhead Army along with setter Tina Salak and former MVP Mary Jean Balse. Rachel Ann Daquis has also emerged as another scoring threat for Army the past two games.
Army’s strength lies on its attack, which is tops in the league with a 35.34 percent success rate, and its blocking, where it is also No. 1 with 2.3 points per set.
The Lady Sailors will bank on the trio of Nene Bautista, Suzanne Roces and Michelle Laborte. Also playing major roles for Navy are setter Janet Serafica and open spiker Cecile Cruzada.
Meanwhile, American import Lauren Ford emerged as the top scorer and the most efficient attacker after the eliminations with 18 hits per game with a 51 percent success rate. The 6-foot-3 standout from Indiana is also the league’s best blocker with a total of 17 blocks.