Shakey’s V-League: Lady Eagles, Tigresses favored in semis

EVEN if coach Roger Gorayeb tries to downplay Ateneo’s edge, his unbeaten Lady Eagles still stand as the top favorite when the Shakey’s V-League semifinals fires off today.

Riding on a seven-game streak, the Lady Eagles clash with Perpetual Help in Game 1 of their best-of-three series at 4 p.m. at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

University of Santo Tomas, which finished second in the quarterfinals with a 6-1 record, takes on San Sebastian in the other semifinal pairing earlier at 2 p.m.

“We have no advantage even if we finished No. 1,” said Gorayeb. “It’s still a best-of-three affair.”

But the Lady Eagles and the Tigresses seem headed for a title showdown after sweeping their equally formidable opponents earlier in the series.

The defending champion Lady Eagles boast an explosive set of attackers in Alyssa Valdez, Fille Cainglet, Suzanne Roces, Dzi Gervacio, Gretchen Ho and Thai import Phee Nok Kesinee.

In their lone meeting with the NCAA champion Lady Altas, the Lady Eagles came out too strong with a three-set 25-14, 25-20, 25-13 win.

Similarly, the Tigresses turned what was billed as a tight contest into a surprise rout when the former champions stunned the powerhouse Lady Stags also in straight sets, 25-12, 25-10, 25-21, two weeks ago.

Although UST mentor Odjie Mamon also sees an even match-up, he thinks his wards led by former MVP Mary Jean Balse, Thai import Utaiwan Kaensing, Maika Ortiz, Maruja Banaticla and Judy Caballejo “know their strengths.”

The Lady Stags’ Thai star Jeng Bualee, leads the league in scoring with a whopping average of 33.75 points per game.