Craving for recognition, La Salle battles NU

Bitter rivals Ateneo and La Salle hope to sustain their winning ways clashing against reigning University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) champions who are looking to boost their playoff chances and improve their systems in the men’s V-League Collegiate Challenge.

The Blue Eagles hunt for their fourth consecutive win in as many games as they meet Perpetual Help in the 4 p.m. contest with Ateneo coach Timothy Sto. Tomas, who was recently appointed as the Petro Gazz Angels’ head coach in the Premier Volleyball League, flaunting a game squad backstopped by prolific setters.

“I have four setters playing with me who all have their own ‘diskarte,’ they have their own styles so they affect the tempo of the game,” Sto. Tomas said on the heels of their previous win against Far Eastern University. “Those certain changes of tempo inside the court [are] big for us; maybe that’s why… our foes find it hard to figure out what diskarte we will do next.”

The Green Spikers battle UAAP powerhouse National University and coach Dante Alinsunurin, who is back from a bronze-clinching run with the Choco Mucho Flying Titans in the VTV Cup in Vietnam.

La Salle, which was supposed to battle archrival Ateneo last Friday before the day’s matchups were suspended due to inclement weather, continues to strive for recognition as an improved system ahead of the UAAP season.

“The way I see it, the name [of our school] itself is famous, but the [men’s volleyball] team is not well-known, so we wanted to make a statement that our team is a must-watch,” La Salle coach Jose Roque said after a convincing victory over San Beda.

It is a battle for consistency in the women’s division with College of St. Benilde coach Jerry Yee still trying to get the fundamentals right with his Lady Blazers, who will be seeking its third win as they face Mapua (1-2) at 10 a.m.

“We still need to fix our defense, service and blocking. That’s what we’re working on for this tournament that hopefully we can fix before the NCAA season,” Yee said in Filipino.

No. 3 team Perpetual Help will battle the young Enderun Lady Titans at 12 noon. INQ