Monday, October 13, 2008 USPF cuts short SWU Cobras’ unbeaten run
EVERYONE at the Aznar Coliseum had to submit to the whims of the University of Southern Philippines Foundation during yesterday’s Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. volleyball competitions.
USPF collected another victory and defeated the Southwestern University Spiking Cobras, who lost at their own lair rightfully nicknamed the Snake Pit, in five sets
After two days of playing at the Aznar Coliseum, it was during yesterday’s final game of the day that USPF complained that the court was too wide.
The dimensions, according to officials, were just about two inches bigger.
While the other coaches let it go, USPF head coach Jordan Paca did not and demanded that it be reduced to the standard size, forcing to officials to scramble for masking tapes to adjust the two-inch difference.
There is a lot of rivalry between the two teams and it was obvious yesterday.
Strong start
In the game, the Cobras started off strong and won the first set behind Dana Baquiro, Elizabeth Emnace and former USPF stalwart Danika Gendrauli, who took SWU out of a 12-all deadlock with a convincing 9-1 run.
However, the Spiking Panthers of coach Jordan Paca, the three-time runnerup of the Cesafi, dug deep into their bag of tricks that gave them three trips to the championship as they won the next two sets behind veteran player Yvonne Verano
and sister Ericka.
Freshman upstarts Cherrylou Paden and Apple Saraum also contributed as USPF claimed the next two sets, 25-16, 25-22.
Paden and Saraum are former high school stars of the USPF team.
Just when the win was at arm’s length for USPF, SWU suddenly woke up in the fourth set, when USPF also fell prey to the minimized courts as their balls kept missing the white masking taped lines.
SWU took the set 25-13, forcing the deciding fifth set.
At the final frame, however, the Panthers did not take any chances. Paden missed in the first play to give SWU the first point, but USPF answered back with a resounding 8-0 run, which eventually gave SWU its first loss in the tournament.
Both teams now hold identical 4-1 win-loss records, with USPF’s loss handed to them by the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R).
In the other games, University of San Jose Recoletos remains unbeaten as it trounced a hard-fighting Cebu Doctors’ University, 25-26, 25-14, 25-21.
While USJ-R proved that they are the queens of the volleyball court, the CDU squad, whose lineup included the daughters of politician Glen Bercede and Cebu’s Don King, Sammy Gello-Ani, also had glimpses of potential as they gave USJ-R a tough time.
USJ-R is assured to top the ranking in the elimination round after winning all of its six games.
The University of San Carlos, on the other hand, defeated University of the Visayas in three sets.
In the men’s action, USJ-R also keeps a clean slate after defeating USPF, 25-19, 25-15, 25-17, while UV defeated CDU, 25-16, 25-6, 25-13. (MCB)
