Far Eastern U, San Beda gain top spots

Far Eastern University leaned on its veteran crew and clobbered a Grethcel Soltones-less San Sebastian College side, cruising to a 25-17, 25-21, 25-14 victory to gain a share of the Group A lead in the Premier Volleyball League Collegiate Conference at Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan on Sunday.

Bernadeth Pons fired 13 hits, including eight attack points and two aces, while Toni Rose Basas added 11 as the Lady Tamaraws matched the Ateneo Lady Eagles’ straight-set romp over the Jose Rizal U Lady Bombers in Saturday’s opener of the season-ending conference of the Sports Vision-organized league.

“We played as a team and that made it a lot easier for us,” said Pons.

It was an all-Lady Tamaraws show right from the start as they imposed their will upfront and pounced on the erratic Lady Stags, who sorely missed the services of former ace hitter and many-time NCAA Most Valuable Player Soltones.

In the second game, San Beda recovered from a third-set defeat and thwarted Technological Institute of the Philippines,

25-13, 25-18, 25-27, 25-13, to join Arellano U in the Group B lead.

The Red Spikers looked headed for a trouble-free debut after dominating the Lady Engineers in the first two quarters. But they sputtered in the third, enabling the TIP tossers to steal the set on deuce points.

Soltones and Kath Villegas have played their last season with the Lady Stags.

Soltones actually helped on the bench as part of Roger Gorayeb’s coaching staff but the Lady Tamaraws, responding to new coach George Pascua, proved too strong for the Lady Stags.

“The important thing was we were able to maximize everyone’s potential,” said Pascua, who recently took over from Shaq delos Santos.

San Sebastian put a gutsy stand in the second set but Pons and Basas stepped up their attack before the Lady Tams reasserted their might in the third with Pons’ last ace wrapping up the one-sided match.

Celine Domingo and Jeanette Villareal also combined for 17 hits for FEU.

The Lady Stags scored 24 attack points but yielded 21 points off miscues.

Nikka Dalisay paced San Sebastian with 10 points while Daurene Santos and Joyce Sta. Rita combined for 12 points for the Recto-based squad.

Earlier, fancied National University whipped San Beda, 25-15, 25-16, 25-18, to join opening day winners La Salle and University of Santo Tomas in the men’s division of the league backed by Mikasa and Asics.