The winner of four straight matches, the University of the Philippines (UP) will look to bolster its Final 4 bid in the UAAP Season 78 women’s volleyball tournament when it takes on De La Salle University Wednesday at the Arena in San Juan. The Lady Maroons are now aiming to tie the Lady Spikers in second place and enhance their chance of claiming a twice-to-beat bonus in the semifinals.
The DLSU Lady Spikers on the other hand who came from an easy straight sets wins over the University of Sto. Tomas last Sunday is wary of the challenged posed by the determined Lady Maroons.
La Salle coach Ramil de Jesus was quoted as saying “Alam nating lahat na bata pa talaga ang UP, pero sa performance nila ngayon, hindi mo talaga kakakitaan ng age ng bawat isa,” said de Jesus. “Kapag na-overcome nila ‘yun, mahirap sila talunin,” the La Salle coach stated.
The UP Lady Maroons is now touted by volleyball experts as a potential Final 4 contender in the preseason, they lived up to the hype, due to the presence of its exciting rookies who were supported by their steady veterans.
The best performance so far from the Lady Maroons was when they stunned the powerhouse team Ateneo de Manila University in four sets during their last meetings on March 6, 2016. The Lady Maroons are currently in third place with 6-3 card, just one game behind the Lady Spikers (7-2) in the race for the second twice-to-beat slot.
The Lady Eagles considered as the strongest team so far this season already grabbed the top spot and the first twice-to-beat advantage with their impressive 8-2 record.
So far this season, UP Lady Maroons got some impressive contributions from rookies Isa Molde, Diana Carlos and Justine Dorog, while veterans Kathy Bersola, Nicole Tiamzon and Marian Buitre provide steady numbers and veteran leadership for the team who wants to move to the second place.
The volleyball game between La Salle and UP will start at around 4:00 PM, during their first encounter La Salle won the game in four sets, 25-14, 25-13, 19-25, and 25-20.