Shakey’s V-League 1st Conference Finals: Sudden Death Sunday (Pre-Game Show, Part 1)

In the immortal words of one of my favourite sportscasters Marv Albert, “it has come down to this.”

All roads will lead to the PhilSports Arena this Sunday, June 2 for the final double-header of the first conference of the tenth season of the Shakey’s V-League. The University of Santo Tomas (UST) Tigresses lock horns with the Adamson University (AdU) Lady Falcons for the third place plum while the National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs clash with the two-time defending champion Ateneo de Manila (AdMU) Lady Eagles in the titular showdown. Both Best-Of-Three series are tied at 1-1, and the volleyball spectacle—which will be aired LIVE on GMA News TV starting 1:00PM—is now almost a sellout.

In the battle for third, Adamson snared the first game—going the full route—23-25, 25-23, 19-25, 25-23, 15-12, in a match that eclipsed the two-hour mark. UST promptly dispatched the Lady Falcons in the second encounter 24-26, 25-17, 25-20, 25-17, marking the first time in eight meetings that their duel did not go the distance.

ALSO READ: Negros Occidental-Ceres repeats as Suzuki U23 National Football Champs

Adamson negated whatever height disadvantage they had in Game 1 by using their patented floor defense to stymie the Tigresses attacks while wunderkind Sheila "Bangnita" Pineda exploded for 23 points tying teammate and guest player Angela Benting for game-high honors. The Lady Falcons also used an inspired fourth set push to come back from six points down, 16-22 to resurrect and force a decider. Many observers felt, however, that Adamson overexerted to snatch the victory that during Game 2—which was played a mere three days later—that they came out flat in the latter three sets of the match. In UST’s series-tying triumph, Pineda was limited to only seven points while Benting had to bleed for her 12 point output. The Tigresses used a three-pronged juggernaut of guest player Aiza Maizo, Pam Lastimosa, and a surprising Jessy de Leon to utilize their length advantage and promptly send it to a rubbermatch.

Despite the fact that this may not be the championship series, the level of volleyball displayed by both squads over the first two games has been stellar and we expect no less than a slugfest come Sunday. Here are some points to look out for in trying to predict the winner:

#1 – UST’s length vs. AdU’s strength on the floor—the Tigresses can easily have three players in front whose height exceeds 5’10” with wingspans of more than six feet. Adamson only has rookie Mylene Paat (although center Faye Guevara played very well in Game 2). Pau Soriano makes up for her lack of height at the center position with extreme talent, but it was not enough to pull it out of the fire in Game 2 where she top scored for the Lady Falcons (16 points). Volleyball is generally still a game of length—although Adamson has been an anomaly to that theory for the past decade. With Maizo almost uncheckable at the utility spot and star center Maika Ortiz drilling her running attacks almost at will, the Lady Falcons will have to use offense against UST as they will—again—be at a disadvantage at the net. However, if Adamson can force the Tigresses into a game of dinks, power tips and chance balls, AdU libero Princess Listana and the rest of the defense have a distinct edge on the floor; which could lead to many quick sets to Soriano or an unmarked open hit from Benting or Pineda. But the Lady Falcons have to force UST into this type of game, otherwise the Tigresses could just repeat their four-set conquest in Game 2, this time ending the match with a trophy. ADVANTAGE: UST

#2 Receptions and Digs—Listana is slowly shaping up to be a true Adamson libero. Remember that the two liberos before her happen to be named Angel Vasquez (former best digger) and the great Lizlee Ann Gata (numerous accolades). While Listana may not be in line for any individual awards while people like Jen Reyes, Den-Den Lazaro and Mae Crisostomo are around, she has become a factor in this series due to her receiving skills. In Game 1, Listana had a grand total of five excellent receptions out of Adamson’s 20 while the Tigresses had 11 as a team. The reception edge allowed setter May Macatuno to find Benting and Pineda repeatedly as the two open-hitters combined for 46 total points. UST once again trailed in that department in Game 2 (15-13), but their net defense improved. The Lady Falcons have always been known as an excellent floor defense squad, even since the time of former coach Minerva Dulce-Pante. Present Head Coach Sherwin Meneses still continues that philosophy today. Better reception and digs for the Lady Falcons means more quality offense, which is something they badly need to do: outscore UST, because limiting them will be difficult. ADVANTAGE: ADAMSON

ALSO READ: ALA Promotions set to invade U.S. boxing market

#3 Setting—Macatuno is not as young as many people think, although she looks like she’s twelve-years-old. Her spunk and volleyball IQ has been one of the catalysts in the Lady Falcons upsurge this season. For UST, Rhea Dimaculangan is their “been-there-done-that” character who has been feted many times before for not only her setting, but also her serves. Although “DMac” is the more celebrated of the two, Macatuno knows her targets very well—which is a big deal for a smaller team. Dimaculangan has many tall attackers, but the disadvantage to that is that her sets sometimes get telegraphed; which buys the Adamson defense enough time to use their speed. That’s not Rhea’s fault. Having tall options often carries that kind of downside. While so many factors will influence the dynamic of this department, I believe Macatuno has come to a point in her career that she can now either negate or compete with DMac. One thing is for sure, Rhea is way taller, which makes her an additional stopper at the net. But that is already a given for the Tigresses. Setting could be a dead-heat. SLIGHT ADVANTAGE: UST

#4 Crowd—the drumbeaters for both schools might just have their work cut out for them. UST traditionally brings more supporters to the venue. However, Adamson has slowly amassed a good following in recent years—especially from fans who value the “grit” aspect of the their game; which means they’ve picked up more followers from non-members of their educational institution. You also have to remember that the battle-for-third is a curtain-raiser to Game 3 of the Finals. Why is this important? Well, most of those newly acquired Adamson fans I mentioned will be rooting for either NU or Ateneo later, but will pick a side in the first game. Generally, Filipinos cheer for underdogs, and on paper the Lady Falcons might just be that coming into Game 3—especially after the Tigresses used their height against what appeared to be a hapless Adamson squad in Game 2. You can wager that most of the NU and Ateneo fans who may be at the venue early could take the side of the Lady Falcons, which would cancel-out UST’s throngs. In fact, I predict that’s exactly what will happen—especially after a long rally were Adamson wins the point. SLIGHT ADVANTAGE: ADAMSON

Third place may not be as prestigious as first place, but these two UAAP rivals are going to make it personal and this finale will also raise pulses. I can already see Pau staring-down Maika when her quick-attack goes through. I can already see Pam screaming at the net after going down-the-line successfully—into the ears of “Bang” and Faye. I can already see this going the distance—again.

RELATED: The best liberos in Shakey's V-League history

And we’re only talking about the first game, guys… #ThisWillBeALongDay #ShakeysVLeague

Follow Noel Zarate on Twitter (@NoelZarate)