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Shakey’s V-League Week #2 Round-Up and Analysis: AU still atop, Laure still impressive

GAMES ON TUESDAY (April 8th) at the San Juan Arena:

2:00PM (Group A) Arellano (3-0) vs. St. Louis (0-2)

4:00PM (Group B) San Sebastian (1-1) vs. NU (2-0)

Having had almost a full week to recover from the double five-set thriller I had the good fortune (it’s for the fans) to cover last Tuesday, I’m happy to report that Sev Sarmenta encountered no such hardship in the two days he had at the broadcasting helm this week as only one match went beyond three sets among the four after the ones I did.

Yes, Adamson, Arellano and Ateneo spanked their respective assignments in straight sets while only the battle between the two UAAP squads in the Shakey’s V-League Season 11 roster that failed to make it to the Final Four going four-sets, with the University of Sto. Tomas (UST) claiming its first victory of the season while dealing the Far Eastern University (FEU) its first loss.

For now, here are the updated Team Standings:

GROUP A:

Arellano 3-0

Ateneo 2-1

Adamson 2-1

St. Benilde 1-1

Southwestern 1-4

St. Louis 0-2


GROUP B:

National U 2-0

UST 1-1

FEU 1-1

San Sebastian 1-1

Perpetual 0-2

Davao Agilas x-x

If you will notice, the Lady Cobras have already completed their preliminary round assignments and for now have headed back to Cebu to await if their measly 1-4 card can get them into the quarterfinals. It was upon their request that they be given all of their prelims matches early and should the Lady Blazers rack up merely one more win, SWU need not return to Manila.

On the other side of the fence, it was the Lady Agilas’ request that they debut later on in the tournament.

Davao will be the only team parading a contingent whose members are not collegians. They are still in the midst of getting ready for their first tiff (which happens on April 20th) against the Lady Tamaraws and are presently back home—perhaps gearing up not only for their maiden voyage, but for the onslaught of Typhoon “Domeng”.

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In all, fourteen matches have already been played and so far it is looking good for the defending champion Lady Bulldogs and the surprisingly dominant Lady Chiefs.

Arellano—after opening their campaign with the mother of all upsets as they cut down the reigning UAAP queens the Ateneo de Manila Lady Eagles on opening week—went on to trounce erstwhile undefeated St. Benilde in straight sets. Prior to that, they also walloped the much taller lasses from Cebu. The Lady Chiefs (3-0) are said have had a light start to their schedule; with only Ateneo as its biggest competition (which they hurdled). Arellano, the NCAA runners-up last season, now have winless St. Louis (April 8th) and the dangerous Lady Falcons (April 10th) remaining in their preliminary round encounters and they are highly touted against the Lady Navigators. If they pull the rug from under Adamson, then they will emerge as the top team of the group heading into the quarters.

Diminutive Danna Henson has been the head-turner for the Lady Chiefs thus far as she is in the top five in total league scoring, while her young and talented middle-hitter Cristine Rosario is presently ranked tenth. The anomaly here is that new starting setter Angelica Legacion is nowhere near the pinnacle of the league as far as setting efficiency goes—presently ranked ninth. Libero Eunice Galang is fifth in digging, but no Arellano player is on the radar as far as receptions goes.

So how is Head Coach Obet Javier and the rest of the Lady Chiefs getting this unblemished thingy done?

Many point out the easy assignments (vs. Southwestern and vs. St. Benilde) as the catalyst as both squads just could not match-up against the Lady Chiefs (remember that CSB scoring leader Jannine Navarro is out due to arrhythmia and has not yet been cleared to play). But the victory over Ateneo speaks volumes of how much the team has matured and gelled and now that they are entering the post Diane Ticar era, this progress bodes well for the team’s goals.

For NU, they had a surprisingly tough go against UST after shellacking the Perps. The Lady Bulldogs had no games last week, but are playing two straight this week—against San Sebastian (April 8th) and against FEU (April 10th).

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They will be missing the services of prized pagoda Jaja Santiago in the game versus the Lady Tams as she leaves for Bangkok that day to rejoin the national team, so in essence the 6’5” reigning UAAP Rookie of the Year will be playing in her last match against the Lady Stags until the Power Pinays return from the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Women’s Volleyball Club Championship in Thailand on April 26th—the tail end of the prelims. NU still has one final match-up against the unknown Agilas on April 24th before heading into the quarterfinal round—in what position is still uncertain.

Ennajie Laure has still been the breath of fresh air the league sought since Alyssa Valdez first made her debut back in 2010.

The seventeen-year-old incoming freshman for the Tigresses unleashed 23 points in her first Shakey’s V-League match in the five-set heartbreaker to NU and followed that up with seventeen markers in the win against FEU this week. She’s led the UST scoring parade in her first two games in the league. That’s announcing your arrival in style.

The Tigresses (1-1) still have three more matches remaining in their schedule and at the rate “EJ” is going, she should be getting MVP conversation mentions very soon. They take on San Sebastian this Sunday (April 13th).

The Ateneo tiff against Southwestern had the Lady Eagles playing as an incomplete unit for the first time since winning the UAAP crown—a mere three weeks ago.

All-World libero Den-Den Lazaro was a no-show for the Katipuneras owing to the fact that she had to take the National Medical Admission Test (NMAT) which is an integral part of her pursuit of a career in medicine. Despite Lazaro’s absence, the Lady Eagles did not even dress a libero for the match—although senior Bea Tan is the squad’s registered libero.

They didn’t need one as Ateneo won handily despite only seven points in two sets played from Valdez, the reigning UAAP MVP.

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The biggest blow for Ateneo, however, is the loss of the “Ellavator” Ella de Jesus who could miss significant time—perhaps the whole season—due to a discovered stress fracture on her left shin. Her absence has opened up court-time for sophomore Kim Gequillana and even guest players Bea de Leon and Jhoanna Maraginot (who took the place of Rissa Sato). But that’s the beauty of the Shakey’s V-League; it helps develop young players and get them ready for future wars in a “safe environment” i.e. FEU during the Open Conference.

Adamson has been one to tinker with its line-up almost endlessly as Head Coach Sherwin Meneses has dispatched the maximum of twelve players in the two matches the Lady Falcons saw so far. He’s also had the luxury of employing different starting line-ups in those two encounters. Adamson almost shocked the Lady Eagles in the opener and rode roughshod over the Lady Cobras.

With Sheila Pineda, Mayette Zapanta and May Macatuno playing in their final season as regular players for the Lady Falcons, it seems that Meneses is honing the skills of his future national team contribution Mylene Paat as the youngster from Baguio City continues to improve at a very rapid pace.

Also joining Paat in that conversation would be Laure, Rosario, FEU’s Bernadeth Pons, Ateneo’s Michelle Morente and Jia Morado, St. Benilde’s Jeanette Panaga, Lady Altas Jamela Suyat and SWU’s Karen Derder.

It is my prediction that in five years time, most—if not all—of these young ladies will be playing alongside captain Valdez on the national team bound for the 18th Asian Games in Hanoi, Vietnam—together with the Santiago sisters, Ara Galang and some six foot utility-spiker that we have yet to discover (or maybe she is hiding in the form of the Lady Blazers’ Ranya Musa).

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Before we get carried away about the lush future of Philippine women’s volleyball, let’s focus on the ongoing battles this season as we enter the halfway mark of the prelims.

I’ve been tasked to work THREE consecutive gamedays this week—which means we’re in for a five-setter somewhere.

But like I always say, “It’s for the fans.”

BOXSCORES:

April 1st

St. Benilde def. Southwestern—25-23, 25-23, 15-25, 23-25, 15-9

CSB—Veronas 24, Panaga 20, Loren 16, Yongco 8, Cheng 3, Musa 3, Ramos 1, C. Gequillana 1, Enclona (L) 0, Lai (L) 0, Mangansakan 0, Borrero 0.

SWU—Cabahug 17, Malaluan 13, Darantinao 11, Villanueva 6, Llagoso 5, Bongo 4, Derder 3, de la Llana 2, Quiño 2, Pacinio (L) 0, Abellana 0.

San Sebastian def. Perpetual Help—25-18, 17-25, 27-25, 23-25, 15-13

SSC-R—Berbano 19, Labiano 16, Devanadera 15, Uy 11, Banaticla 6, Villegas 4, Lim 3, Eroa (L) 0, M. Crisostomo (L) 0, T. Crisostomo 0, Corpuz 0, Mallare 0.

UPHSD—Suyat 21, Praca 18, Diaz 17, Diocareza 10, Bravo 6, Cabriana 4, Condada (L) 0, Eniong 0, Medalla 0, Berba 0.

April 3rd

Adamson def. Southwestern—25-12, 25-14, 25-16

AdU—Paat 10, Saengmuang 9, Cortel 8, Galanza 8, Pineda 6, Guevara 4, Alkuino 4, Emnas 2, A. Villanueva 2, Macatuno 1, Velasco 1, Tempiatura (L) 0.

SWU—Llagoso 6, Bongo 5, Abellana 3, Darantinao 3, Quiño 3, Malaluan 1, de la Llana 1, Pacinio (L) 0, Cabahug 0, N. Villanueva 0.

Arellano def. St, Benilde—25-19, 25-17, 25-16

AU—Henson 13, Prado 12, Sagun 9, Rosario 8, Salamagos 4, Tubiera 4, Legacion 1, Sierra 1, de la Cruz 1, Galang (L) 0, Ibisa (L) 0, Cariño 0, Ticar 0, Oserio 0.

CSB—Panaga 9, Veronas 9, Loren 6, Yongco 5, Cheng 1, Musa 1, Borrero 1, Enclona (L) 0, Mangansakan 0, C. Gequillana 0.

April 5th

Ateneo def. Southwestern—25-13, 25-18, 25-20

AdMU—Ahomiro 13, K. Gequillana 9, Morente 9, Valdez 7, Maraginot 5, B. de Leon 4, Tajima 2, Morado 1, Patnongon 0, G. Tan 0.

SWU—Abellana 4, Llagoso 3, Cabahug 3, Derder 3, Darantinao 2, N. Villanueva 2, Bongo 2, Malaluan 1, Quiño 1, de la Llana 1, Pacinio (L) 0.

UST def. FEU—25-15, 19-25, 25-18, 25-13

UST—Laure 17, J. de Leon 16, Lastimosa 15, Cortez 11, Meneses 7, Tunay 7, Dimaculangan 3, Dusaran (L) 0, Cabanos 0, Santos 0, Gutierrez 0.

FEU—Pons 14, Simborio 11, Palma 9, Basas 7, Casugod 4, Dawson 2, Atienza 1, Agno (L) 0, Dionela (L) 0, Papa 0, Malabanan 0.


Follow Noel Zarate on Twitter (@NoelZarate) and email sportztackle@yahoo.com