Tigresses devour Stags, move closer for V-League grandslam

A third straight title is now within reach for the University of Santo Tomas Tigresses. The Tigresses moved closer to completing a rare grandslam after defeating the San Sebastian Lady Stags in four sets, 25-21, 22-25, 25-20, 25-15, Sunday in Game 1 of the 7th Shakey's V-League First Conference finals at the packed The Arena in San Juan City.

The Espana-based spikers bucked skipper Angeli Tabaquero's absence to move one game away from completing a sweep of the Lady Stags. Tabaquero suffered a knee injury in the first set and is a doubtful starter in Game 2. But Mary Jean Balse, Aiza Maizo, and Maika Ortiz carried the scoring load for the Tigresses, who are in a better position of claiming the crown. UST has a chance to rewrite history with a win on Tuesday. It will try to become the second team since La Salle to complete a grandslam. The Taft-based squad established the feat from 2004 to 2006. A record sixth league title will also be in the Tigresses' minds. Signs are very encouraging for UST to score a sweep as eight of 10 teams that won Game 1 went on to bag the crown. Balse, the team's guest player and a former national team mainstay, topscored with 16 points, Maizo had 15 while Ortiz registered 12 as the trio made the predominant UST gallery very much in the game most of the way. Thai guest player Jeng Bualee led the Lady Stags with 22 points while Melissa Mirasol added 13. Suzanne Roces, a former University of the East standout, and Joy Benito chipped in 11 and 10 markers, respectively. Earlier, Roces bagged the conference most valuable player award while Benito copped the most improved player honors. Bualee (best scorer), Maizo (best attacker), Lyceum's Nica Guliman (best Blocker), teammate Nicolette Tabafunda (best server), Adamson's Lizlee Ann Gata (best digger), San Sebastian's Jennelyn Belen (best setter) and Lyceum's Thai reinforcement Porntip Santrong (best reciver) are the other individual winners. Meanwhile, Ateneo's Thai guest player Keawbundit Sontaya scored a league record 38 points as the Lady Eagles beat Lyceum, 19-25, 25-15, 25-21, 20-25, 15-10, in their own best-of-three series for third place. - JVP/RCJ, GMANews.TV