MANILA, Philippines - Defending five-time champion San Sebastian and St. Benilde collide in an early clash of the favorites as the women’s division of the 86th NCAA volleyball tournament semifinals fires off Jan. 10 at the Emilio Aguinaldo College gym. The Lady Stags and the Blazers try to shake off a two-week holiday break with the former hoping to re-stamp their class over their rivals, whom they beat in the last three title duels.
Gametime is set at 2 p.m. to be followed by the match between contenders Perpetual Help and Letran at 4 p.m.
The Lady Altas actually wound up tied for first with the SSC spikers and the Lady Blazers at the end of the single-round elimination at 7-1 (win-loss) but ended up on top with the highest FIVB quotient.
The Lady Knights snared the fourth and last semis slot after finishing with a 5-3 card in the tournament backed by Mikasa and Asics.
The top two teams will dispute the crown in a best-of-three affair.
“We have to work harder than we did in the semis because this is the semifinals,” said SSC coach Roger Gorayeb.
Perpetual Help and St. Benilde, in contrast, are aiming to win home their first ever championship while Letran seeks its first title since going all the way 12 seasons ago.
Philippine Star
