Monday, October 20, 2008 Fourth straight finals By Marian C. Baring Sun.Star Staff Reporter
YESTERDAY’s semifinals of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. volleyball competition turned into a story of Genie Sabas’ ability to soar and the University of
Southern Philippines Foundation’s lucky charm.
The University of San Jose-Recoletos and USPF will once more battle for volleyball supremacy as they arranged their fourth straight championship showdown following their respective semifinals wins yesterday at the University of San Carlos gym.
And the wins, were courtesy of Sabas and USPF’s “lucky charm” Yvonne Verano.
Sabas once more found her groove as she displayed her high-flying acts to help steer USJ-R to a 25-19, 25-20, 25-12 win over USC.
For the past games, head coach Grace Antigua had been telling Sabas jokingly to haul ass.
“Nagkulang man siya ug condition as she was busy with school work. And now, she is back in shape,” Antigua said of her team captain, who showed that her power comes from how high she could jump.
Also helping out Sabas, who graduated last Saturday, in that match were her former RP girls teammate Michelle Simbajon, who did not show any signs of an injured back and newbie Rachel Singson.
In the third set, USC challenged USJ-R to a tight match and leveled the count at 10-all. However, when it was Simbajon’s turn to serve, there was no stopping her as she scored aces, while Singson was a dominant force from the net, scoring on several block shots. The two led a scorching 10-0 run which eventually set the stage for USJ-R’s win and a trip to the finals to continue their hunt for an unprecedented four-peat.
USPF, on the other hand, leaned on Verano for their win. Verano suited up for USPF but was only there to support the team as she allowed her younger teammates to dictate the game en route to a 25-23, 25-12, 25-16 win over the Southwestern University.
After winning a set, the team playfully went to Verano and touch her, and calling her “lucky charm.”
Verano, the most veteran player in the team, was just at the bench egging her team on.
“She is the most senior in the team and she provided inspiration for them,” said assistant coach Thelma Datig. Although Verano is still enrolled with USPF, she only lacked a few units and will already be starting work.
The two teams will battle for the title on Wednesday.
On the other hand, the men’s semifinals were still ongoing as of press time.
