Adamson sets up V-League duel vs USLS
FORMER MOST Valuable Player Nene Bautista matched a conference-high 29 points yesterday to propel Adamson past Lyceum and into the semifinals of the Shakey’s V-League Season 8 First Conference at the FilOil-Flying V Arena in San Juan.
Bautista kept the Lady Pirates guessing with her well-placed attacks and the Lady Falcons bucked an opening-set mishap en route to a 20-25, 25-15, 25-18, 25-18 victory in a little over 90 minutes.
The victory set up a semifinal showdown with Bacolod team University of St. La Salle, which flexed enough muscle to down also-ran Far Eastern U, 19-25, 25-23, 25-17, 25-10, in the first game.
The Lady Stingers and Lady Falcons start their series at 2 p.m. on Thursday. Ateneo and National U meet in the other semifinal duel at 4 p.m.
Adamson grew in strength after an opening set loss as Bautista converted 26 of 56 attacks to match the output of St. La Salle standout Patty Orendain.
“We showed a lot of mental toughness,” said Adamson coach Dulce Pante. “I never doubted my team even if we lost the first set. If they play the way I want them to play, we won’t have any problems.”
The Lady Stingers will have new guest players in the quarterfinals as American import Jayde Hair has opted to return to the United States for her high school graduation. She will be replaced by University of Santo Tomas star Aiza Maizo, now a member of the national beach volleyball team.
Jovelyn Gonzaga will be La Salle’s other guest player, replacing Rebbie Delotindo. With a report from Reed Gabagat
