A RESURGENT Cagayan Valley squad guns for a share of top spot when it tackles dangerous Ateneo today in the final elimination-round playdate of the Shakey’s V-League Season II Open Conference at Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.
A win in the 4 p.m. match will pull the Lady Rising Suns level with PLDT Home Telpad and Army at the top with identical 6-1 marks heading into the quarterfinals where records will be carried over.
Already out of contention, University of the Philippines and Philippine National Police hope to finish the tournament on a winning note when they take the floor at 2 p.m.
Both toting identical 0-6 records, the Maroons and Lady Patrollers seek a breakthrough in what had been a nightmarish campaign.
Cagayan is riding high on a four-set demolition of Army last week in its finest performance yet this season.
But the Rising Suns will be playing an Ateneo side that pushed Army to the limit before yielding in five sets last Tuesday.
The Lady Eagles actually wasted a couple of match points in the loss to the Lady Troopers. But the fighting performance should serve as a warning for the Rising Suns, who rolled past UP in straight sets last Sunday.
Veterans Aiza Maizo-Pontillas, Janine Marciano, Angeli Tabaquero and Pau Soriano are expected to go all out against the Lady Eagles, whose main threat should come from the league’s leading scorer Alyssa Valdez.
Valdez, the reigning UAAP Most Valuable Player, dished out 29 points against the Lady Troopers but once again got little support from her teammates.
Ateneo hopes Amy Ahomiro, Michelle Morente, Miren Gequillana, Bea de Leon and Julia Morado will all rise to the challenge as the Lady Eagles seek their third win in seven games. Cedelf P. Tupas