UST, Ateneo pull off contrasting wins to get ahead in Shakey’s V-League semis

MANILA, Philippines—Ateneo disposed of Perpetual Help in straight sets while University of Santo Tomas needed five to topple down San Sebastian, all for a 1-0 edge in the semifinals of the Shakey’s V-League First Conference Sunday at the Arena in San Juan city.

UST came up with a 25-11, 25-17, 23-25, 21-25, 15-8 victory with five Tigresses in double-digits, but not before nearly squandering a 2-0 set advantage.

Ateneo, on the other hand, did not let up despite being close to yielding the first set and finished ultimately off Perpetual Help, 31-29, 25-20, 25-19.

Judy Caballejo and guest player Mary Jean Balse dropped 19 and 18 points respectively for the Tigresses, who quashed the Stags’ comeback with a domination in the fifth set.

Utaiwan Kaensing, Maica Ortiz and Maru Banaticla combined for 39 points as UST, which has San Sebastian’s number all season, are a win away from clinching a finals berth.

The Lady Eagles, meanwhile, banked on team effort, highlighted by distributed scoring, in the second game to get in the prime position to make it to the finals again.

Alyssa Valdez topscored for Ateneo, which also towered over Perpetual Help in their last meeting, with 15 points while Thai  guest player Phee Nok Kesinee added 14 points.

Continuation of the semifinals is on Tuesday, as Perpetual Help shoots to even the series with Ateneo at 2 p.m. and San Sebastian tries to exact revenge on UST at 4 p.m.