UNIVERSITY of the Philippines (UP) shoots for the third semifinals berth, when it tangles with National University (NU) in Shakey’s V-League Season 13 Collegiate Conference on Monday at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.
After opening their quarterfinals campaign on a high note with a rousing 25-18, 14-25, 25-20, 25-18 win over Ateneo de Manila over the weekend, the Lady Maroons, who are running solo third place with a 2-1 win-loss card, try to secure their seat to the top 4 with a victory over the defending champion Lady Bulldogs at 4 p.m.
The Lady Eagles (1-2) try to bounce back from their loss to UP and boost their semifinal bid as they battle the already eliminated, but still dangerous University of Santo Tomas (UST) at 6 p.m.
Bannered by Isa Molde, Kathy Bersola, Marian Buitre, Diana Carlos, Justine Dorog and Nicole Tiamzon, the Lady Maroons have shown vast improvement but Head Coach Jerry Yee still wants to see more consistency with their play.
“Ang finished product would probably ‘yung wala ng down time at tuluy-tuloy, straight sets laban kung laban kapag UP ang kalaban,” Yee said. “Ngayon malayo pa tayo. May improvements pero hindi pa rin.”
The young UP side will face an acid test against the peaking NU, led by 6-foot-4 star Jaja Santiago together with Aiko Urdas, Risa Sato, Jorelle Singh and Jasmine Nabor.
Lady Bulldogs Assistant Coach Edjet Mabbayad, who is taking over for Head Coach Roger Gorayeb, wants his wards to take their title defense without any pressure.
“Ang instruction lang sa amin ni Coach Roger ay pagbutihin lang every game. ‘Yun lang kasi ayaw din naman namin i-pressure ‘yung mga bata kaya ginagawa din naman ng mga bata ‘yung instruction ni coach at nai-inspire din naman sila,” Mabbayad said.
In Spikers’ Turf, defending champion Ateneo tries to complete the sweep of Group B as it faces UP at 12 noon, while cellar dwellers College of Saint Benilde and Philippine Merchant Marine School meet at 10 a.m.