V-League quarters on; Ateneo, TIP dispute last slot

Ateneo Lady Eagles. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

AS THE QUARTERFINAL round gets going, both Ateneo and Technological Institute of the Philippines still hope to catch up with the action in the Shakey’s V-League Season 13 Collegiate Conference today.

National University and University of Santo Tomas collide at 4 p.m. at the start of the round-robin phase where the top four teams will advance to the semifinals.

But Ateneo and TIP vie to complete that six-team group as the two squads dispute the last quarterfinal berth at 6 p.m. at Philsports Arena in Pasig City.

“For us, there’s no pressure, said Ateneo skipper Michelle Morente. “But we want to show what we can do.”

The Lady Eagles recovered from a 0-2 start to tie the Lady Engineers with a 2-2 record in Group A and forge a winner-take-all for the last quarterfinal slot.

Only the top three teams in each group advanced, with NU (3-1) and San Sebastian College (3-1) taking the first two seats in Group A.

Also heading to the next round are Group B teams Far Eastern University (4-0), University of the Philippines (3-1) and UST
(2-2).

Ateneo’s chances had looked bleak but the Lady Eagles lived another day after their surprise sweep of the Lady Bulldogs, 25-15, 27-25, 25-17, on the last day of eliminations last Saturday.
The Lady Eagles also denied the Lady Bulldogs a four-game sweep of Group A.
So Morente wants the Lady Eagles to show the same intensity—and also get their revenge—versus the Lady Engineers, who stunned them in five sets, 24-26, 25-14, 21-25, 25-18, 12-15, in their opening match.

Ateneo’s male counterparts, though, already secured a Final Four slot and Perpetual Help tries to do the same in the Spikers’ Turf Season 2 Collegiate Conference.

The unbeaten Altas (3-0) targets a win over the Tamaraws (2-1) at 12 noon in Group A action to join the idle Eagles (4-0), the Group B leader, in the next round.

UP (2-1) and San Beda (1-2), meanwhile, aim to bolster their bids in the first match at 10 a.m.