AS action in NCAA women’s volleyball tournament resumes after a two-week Christmas break, an early showdown awaits reigning five-time champion San Sebastian College and College of Saint Benilde.
The protagonists in the last three championship meetings, the Lady Stags and the Lady Blazers are expected to go all out as the short single-round semifinals begins on January 10 at the Emilio Aguinaldo College Gym.
The San Sebastian-St. Benilde duel is set at 2 p.m., to be followed by the match between elimination round topnotcher University of Perpetual Help System Dalta and Letran at 4 p.m.
The Lady Altas, the Lady Blazers and the Lady Stags are tied at the end of the single-round elims with identical 7-1 records, but the Las Piñas-based spikers took the No. 1 ranking due to higher FIVB quotient.
Finishing fourth are the Lady Knights with a 5-3 record in the event supported by Mikasa and Asics.
The top two teams after the three-game semifinals round will advance to the best-of-three finals.
San Sebastian, mentored by Roger Gorayeb, is seeking a sixth straight championship and 24th women’s title overall.
Gorayeb is now on his 25th season as head coach of the Lady Stags.
Perpetual Help and St. Benilde are still looking for a championship, while Letran last won in the 1998-99 season. (T. Pastorfide)
