Offense meets defense as NU, Ateneo collide

The top attacking and blocking teams collide Saturday as they jockey for positions in the Final Four of the UAAP women’s volleyball at FilOil Flying V Centre.

National University, erstwhile leader on account of its formidable offense, clashes with Ateneo, the No. 1 blocking team, at 4 p.m.

Preceding the match is the battle between beleaguered squads University of the Philippines and University of Santo Tomas at 2 p.m.

The Lady Bulldogs previously defeated the Lady Eagles in the first round, but, after losing to the La Salle Lady Spikers (27-25, 27-25, 25-16) recently, need to duplicate the win to grab a share of the top spot.

But the Lady Eagles are coming in fresh from a 25-19, 25-21, 25-17 thrashing of Far Eastern University putting them in good form as they shoot for a sixth victory.

With Jaja Santiago in tow, the Lady Bulldogs are best in attacks with a 31.65-percent success rate. In contrast, the Lady Eagles are third in that department with a 30.60 percent clip.

Ironically, the Tigresses are second in attacks (30.78 percent) mainly through flashy but overworked spiker Cherry Rondina.

Ateneo has 79 killblocks so far this season—the most in the league—with Maddie Madayag, Bea de Leon and Kat Tolentino up front.

NU was third (69 killblocks) through Santiago undersized middle Risa Sato, behind La Salle (72).

UST and UP both need to win to keep their semifinal hopes alive. The Tigresses, for one, are currently on a four-game losing streak.