Sunday, May 18, 2008 USJ-R in do-or-die match vs. USLS today
THE University of San Jose-Recoletos Spiking Jaguars lost a crucial match against an undefeated Ateneo de Manila University in the quarterfinal round of the Shakey’s V-League Season 5, last Friday at the Arena in Pasig.
USJ-R, the grandslam champion of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc., lost to the powerhouse ADMU squad in four sets, 21-25, 25-23, 21-25, 13-25.
The loss may jeopardize USJ-R’s chances of making it to the semifinal round, but the team is taking it in stride.
“We played a good game against a very strong team,” said head coach Grace Antigua.
Antigua did not discount the fact that her team put up some solid defenses against ADMU, who is fielding in a new star import, Thai player Em-orn Phanusit, who was responsible for ADMU’s scorching run in the quarterfinal round.
Phanusit may have the power kills, but USJ-R had an arsenal that was ready for it.
“The Thai was really very strong but one of my proudest moments in that game was when Tawi (Gwendolyn Gutang) received four straight smashes that literally had the crowd bursting into applause,” Antigua said.
Gutang, the team’s libero, was an easy target for Phanusit’s spikes being the smallest in the bunch, but Gutang put up a good defensive stance. She is in the boards of the individual ranking of the quarterfinals match, currently taking second place in the best digger list.
ADMU had only dropp–ed a set in the quarterfinal round twice—once to Far Eastern University and once to USJ-R, another thing USJ-R could be proud of.
With an unblemished 5-0 record, ADMU’s win assured them of the third semifinal slot, joining early qualifiers Adamson University and San Sebastian College.
Despite the loss, USJ-R still stands a chance to salvage the last semifinal slot. It just needs to win against fellow wildcard entry University of St. La Salle of Bacolod this afternoon.
“We want to win. But we can’t tell of our chances yet because we have not played USLS before,” Antiua said.
USJ-R carries a 2-2 win-loss record, while USLS has a 1-3 card. Should USJ-R win today, it will force a playoff with second-ranked team Lyceum of the Philippines University, which has a 4-1 record.
Antigua will be banking on Genie Sabas, Mechelle Matuguina and Julette Mae Marikit for her offenses. A revelation for USJ-R in this competition is sophomore play–er Avegail Getuaban, who is currently leading the Best Attacker list. (MCB)
