V-League: Stags outlast Eagles to book finals berth

Suzanne Roces exploded in the pivotal fifth frame as San Sebastian came back from a set down to oust Ateneo, 21-25, 25-22, 23-25, 25-21, 15-12, and secure the finals berth of the 7th Shakey's V-League First Conference at The Arena in San Juan City.

The lanky Roces scored six points in the deciding set as the Lady Stags overcame numerous comeback attempts by the pesky Lady Eagles, who are still reeling from the loss of star player Charo Soriano. Without Soriano, the Stags were able to take advantage and complete a sweep of the best-of-three semifinal series. Roces finished with a career-best 32 points as the Recto-based spikers advanced to the finals for the sixth time. They are seeking to win their first title since ruling the 2008 Second Conference. San Sebastian's sixth trip to the title series remains the second most in league history, trailing University of Santo Tomas with eight. But the Lady Stags has a bridesmaid syndrome, losing four times against the Tigresses of University of Santo Tomas. Despite booking their sixth finals stint, San Sebastian coach Roger Gorayeb was surprisingly not satisfied. "We played bad," Gorayeb said. "We won because of individual talent, but we didn’t come up with our usual set plays. We were just lucky we survived it." Thai import Jeng Bualee managed to score 24 points despite her coach’s claims that she played below par while NCAA most valuable player Joy Benito added 14. But it was Roces who played consistent all throughout. After a quiet showing in the first four sets, she erupted in the fifth frame that saw her score a drop ball for a 12-10 lead and later converted off a quick play for a 13-11 edge. She also came through on the defensive end. After a bad reception by a San Sebastian player, Roces was able to retrieve the ball and allowed teammate Jennelyn Belen to return the ball back to the Lady Eagles. The resulting play eventually led to another net violation by Gervacio that made it 14-11. – JVP/RCJ, GMANews.TV