UAAP volleyball: Cruz sisters aim to hand La Salle 6th straight win

Reigning women's champion La Salle tries to remain undefeated before the 74th UAAP volleyball tournament takes a break for the holidays when it takes on University of the East on Saturday at the San Juan Arena. The Lady Archers, on a five-game roll despite juggling their academic commitments—finals week—with training and games, face the Lady Warriors (1-4) in the 2 p.m. featured match. La Salle cruised to its fifth-straight win with a 25-16, 25-17, 25-22 conquest of UP only last Wednesday. Against UE, the Lady Archers are again expected to rely on skipper Cha and rookie Camille Cruz, the Taft-based spikers' lethal sister-sister combination. Michelle Gumabao, the league's top blocker, is also expected to step up after recovering from a recent illness for the Lady Archers, who have shown enviable chemistry. Ace spiker Abigail Maraño, Ara Galang, Mika Reyes and setter Mika Esperanza are also delivering the goods for the Taft-based team. The Lady Warriors, in seventh place with a 1-4 record, have yet to find the consistency this season. To do that, they have to draw the best out of hitters Kite Rosale and Sarina Faith Bulan. Adamson University, meanwhile, tries to break its tie with idle Ateneo at second place when it shoots for its fourth win in five games against Far Eastern University (2-2) at 4 p.m. also in women's volleyball. The Lady Falcons are favored to prevail after posting a mini three-game winning streak, thanks Sheila Pineda, Mayette Zapanta, Pau Soriano and Jampong Quinlog's combined efforts. The men open the day's schedule with University of the Philippines taking on Ateneo at 9 a.m. and UE facing University of Santo Tomas at 10:30 a.m. — JVP, GMA News