Tigresses face defending champions Girl Bulldogs, with No. 2 spot at stake

The celebs will all come out to play (from left): Eya Laure, Milena Alessandrini and Cassie Carballo will type UST’s core whereas Bella Belen, Jen Nierva and Alyssa Solomon will gas NU’s cost.—UAAP MEDIA

Eya Laure and Bella Belen, two of the largest attracts in Season 85 of the UAAP girls’s volleyball match, will go head-to-head as soon as once more with the stakes at their highest so far as out there rankings within the Last 4 go.

Laure and the College of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigresses and the pack of defending champion Nationwide College (NU) Girl Bulldogs that Belen leads battle it out at 11 a.m. on Wednesday for what could be the No. 2 seed and the final out there twice-to-beat privilege within the semifinals.

And each stars have deliberate—and certainly spent—the times for the reason that weekend finding out the workforce on the alternative finish of the ground figuring out the enormity of the match at FilOil Flying V Area in San Juan Metropolis.

“They’re nonetheless the defending champions, and that’s nonetheless the mentality that they’ve,” Laure mentioned in Filipino after the Tigresses accomplished the Last 4 forged with a win over Far Japanese College final Sunday as she regarded forward to this important tiff. “We all know that they don’t wish to lose and that they may put their finest foot ahead [for this match].

“We will probably be prepared for them,” the league’s main scorer mentioned. “That’s what we are going to do.”

With each squads locked in a second place tie at 9-3, the winner will get the within observe on No. 2 as they shut out their respective elimination spherical schedules in opposition to ousted sides.

“We have been overeager [in the first round],” Belen mentioned in Filipino when she talked of the 25-23, 27-25, 17-25, 22-25, 15-11 loss to the Tigresses final March 4 that snapped NU’s 20-game profitable streak. “We have to be composed and we have to return to the drafting board.

“We are going to provide you with a sport plan primarily based on how we see them of their final sport.”

As issues stand, idle La Salle will probably be No. 1 with a 12-1 file, whereas Adamson is at No. 4 and would possible have to beat the Girl Spikers two straight instances if the UST-NU loser wins its remaining sport.

Kungfu Reyes, the Santo Tomas coach, has labored on ensuring that his Tigresses stay hungry.

“Our purpose is a prime two spot,” Reyes mentioned. “We’re within the Last 4, however we’re aiming greater. We are going to play our sport and never play to the event, in any other case, we may be overwhelmed by the state of affairs.”

Larger situation

The larger situation, assuming that Nationwide dispatches of Ateneo and Santo Tomas takes care of winless College of the Philippines to shut out classification, is that the loser of this match will once more tangle with the winner within the semifinals—and having the massive activity of profitable two straight video games to advance.

“We have to be composed and relaxed. These two remaining video games are essential,’’ mentioned Belen.

Laure would be the greatest defensive downside for the Girl Bulldogs, because the heavy-handed Santo Tomas spiker has proven principally all season lengthy that she might be unstoppable when she is in her components.

She will probably be coming off a 28-point efficiency in opposition to the Girl Tamaraws in a four-set win, though Santo Tomas has a strong nucleus that features the towering Milena Alessandrini and Cassie Carballo.

Alyssa Solomon will probably be there as Belen’s chief backup, with workforce captain Princess Robles and libero Jen Nierva additionally anticipated to play a important half. INQ

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