Ateneo volleybelles take No. 3 slot in Final Four

The Ateneo de Manila Lady Eagles secured the third spot in the 72nd UAAP volleyball tournament Final Four after shooting down the Adamson Lady Falcons – their rival for the position - via a 25-18, 25-20, 19-25, 25-19 verdict Saturday at The Arena in San Juan. The Lady Eagles thus ended their two-round elimination campaign with a 10-4 record, their No. 3 placing in the semis their best finish since joining the league. Angeline Gervacio punched in 21 points while Bea Pascual and Fille Cainglet added 13 apiece for Ateneo, which will face No. 2 seed and owner of a twice-to-beat advantage University of Santo Tomas in the next round. The Lady Falcons, who drew 20 hits from Paulina Soriano, finished with 9-5 for No. 4, in the process setting a Final Four showdown with top seed defending champion La Salle. The Lady Archers likewise enjoy twice-to-beat edge in the semis.

In the other women’s game, last year’s runner-up Far Eastern U took fifth place overall with a 6-8 slate after beating University of the Philippines, 25-18, 25-19, 25-23. The Lady Maroons wound up sixth with 4-10. Meanwhile, the UP Maroons forged a playoff for the fourth and last semis berth after dumping University of the East, 25-20, 25-11, 25-18, in men's play. The Maroons, last year’s runner up, ended the preliminaries with an even 7-7 record and will await the winner between Ateneo and La Salle, which share third and fourth spots with 7-6 slates. The loser of the Blue Eagles-Green Archers showdown will have to face the Diliman-based spikers in a knockout match for the No. 4 slot and the right to take on two-time defending champion University of Sto. Tomas, the top seed, in the semis. The winner of Ateneo-DLSU, on the other hand, will automatically get the No. 3 seeding and a Final Four date with No. 2 FEU. - GMANews.TV