V-League rivalry brewing as Adamson catches SSC-Excelroof on top

MANILA, Philippines—Adamson continued its mastery of San Sebastian-Excelroof with an epic five-set victory Sunday night that gave the Lady Falcons a share of the lead at the start of the quarterfinals of the Shakey’s V-League Season 7 Second Conference at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan.   Adamson climbed out of a 4-9 hole in the deciding set and frustrated the Lady Stags with its resolute net defense en route to a 15-25, 25-21, 13-25, 25-19, 15-13 win.   The Lady Falcons caught up with SSC-Excelroof at 6-8 after duplicating their win over the same team in five sets in the elimination round.   In a match billed as a preview of the finals, Adamson and San Sebastian both displayed vaunted attacking game and even exchanged a few taunts after several points in the first four sets, before the Lady Falcons’ solid blocking eventually scuttled the Lady Stags in the deciding frame.   “If we play this way, winning the title isn’t a far-fetched goal,” Adamson coach Dulce Pante said in Filipino.   “I just had confidence in my players that we could still win despite that lead in the fifth set.”   The tension was palpable even after the match as San Sebastian players walked out of the court just as Adamson players approached them for the traditional postgame handshake.   Almost lost in the din of the Lady Falcons’ stirring conquest was National University’s similarly pulsating 12-25, 15-25, 25-23, 25-18, 15-12 victory over Perpetual Help in the playoff for the sixth and last quarterfinal spot.   The Lady Bulldogs became the first team in the tournament to win a five-setter after falling two sets down, and NU coach Francis Vicente said the importance of the victory will go beyond their stint in the Shakey’s V-League.   No team led by more than two points in the deciding set until National U, down 11-12, piled up four straight to seal the win in an hour and 50 minutes.   Marvic Mangui who finished with a game-high 28 points struck to tie the match at 12 before putting the Lady Bulldogs at match point with an ace.   An attacking error by Perpetual Help finally sent the Lady Bulldogs to the quarterfinals, a remarkable feat considering it’s the first time they are seeing action in the league.