Pinoy Spikers (Philippine Spike)

WITH the way it crushed the opposition in the past few matches, Adamson plunge in their best-of-three title showdown with Ateneo as heavy favorites for the Shakey’s V-League first conference crown. The championship opener is set at 4 p.m. Sunday at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan. In the 2008 first conference finals, the Lady Falcons handily won over the Lady Eagles, where rookie coach Charo Soriano was still playing for Ateneo.

Adamson is going to follow up its 2010 second conference title it won over Sebastian College. Lady Falcons mentor Dulce Pante is confident about her chances to repeat against the Lady Eagles, who are looking for their first-ever championship in the league sponsored by Shakey’s Pizza.

With two titles, Adamson is seeking to tie with La Salle as the league’s second winningest team. University of Santo Tomas, which has missed the last two editions, remains on top with six diadems. “Ganoon pa rin, nakikita naman sa performance ng mga bata, mas maganda ang inilalaro nila.  Medyo abante kami sa floor defense, gayundin sa opensa, at mas malalim ang bench namin,” said Pante. Read the rest of this entry »

ADAMSON claimed its second straight finals appearance by repulsing University of St. La Salle of Bacolod, 26-24, 22-25, 25-17, 25-17, Tuesday in Game 2 of the Shakey’s V-League first conference semifinals at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan. The Lady Falcons won the best-of-three series, 2-0, to grab a shot at a third championship. Adamson is seeking to tie La Salle as the second winningest team in the league sponsored by Shakey’s Pizza.

“Expected na namin na makabalik sa finals.  Gusto naming tapusin agad ang series at nagawa naman namin,” said a jubilant Lady Falcons mentor Dulce Pante.“Kung iisipin mo, tao sa tao, makikita mong lamang kami,” she added. But Adamson will have to wait a few days to determine its best-of-three championship opponent as Ateneo vented its ire on the court with a 25-14, 25-18, 25-20 victory over National University.

The deciding Game 3 is slated Thursday. Hours before Game 2, the league yesterday nullified the Lady Eagles series opening win over the Lady Bulldogs for using a libero as a regular player during the match. Ateneo reserve Bea Tan was fielded in the fourth set of Game 1, which NU coach Francis Vicente field a protest. Read the rest of this entry »

NENE Bautista filled in the gap of fellow guest player Michelle Laborte’s lackluster performance as Adamson neared to a second straight finals stint with a 25-19, 25-23, 25-22 win over University of St. La Salle of Bacolod Thursday in the Shakey’s V-League first conference semifinals at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

Bautista fired 21 hits to help the Lady Falcons seize the 1-0 advantage in the best-of-three series and spoil the debut of new Lady Stingers reinforcements Aiza Maizo and Jovelyn Gonzaga.

In the second game, Ateneo moved closer in clinching its first championship stint in four seasons by turning back National University, 25-27, 25-14, 25-10, 25-19.

Using their fourth starting six this season with the absence of Dzi Gervacio due to school commitments, the Lady Eagles lost the first frame, but bounced back in the next three to seize the upperhand in the best-of-three series. Read the rest of this entry »

ADAMSON used its old-fashioned floor defense to clinch the last ‘Final Four’ berth in the Shakey’s V-League first conference.

The Lady Falcons rebounded from a first set loss to turn back Lyceum, 20-25, 25-15, 25-18, 25-18, and stay on track for a possible second straight championship at the end of the quarterfinals Tuesday at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

University of St. La Salle of Bacolod, meanwhile, formally clinched the top ranking in the Group II quarterfinals by repulsing Far Eastern University, 19-25, 25-23, 25-17, 25-10, to arrange a best-of-three semifinals meeting with Adamson. Read the rest of this entry »

LIKE in any other successful sporting campaign, Adamson leaned on the 3 Ds – desire, determination and discipline – to annex its second Shakey’s V-League crown Thursday.

But for good measure, it added another one – defense. The Lady Falcons neutralized Thai import Jeng Bualee and the San Sebastian College-Excelroof’s vaunted power game with their superb net and floor defense to prevail in their sudden death for the league’s Season 7 second conference crown.

What made the victory impressive was that they did it in three sets, 26-24, 25-17, 25-16, finally mastering the Lady Stags after nipping them in three cliffhangers, including the series’ opener, 25-13, 25-17, 30-32, 21-25, 15-13.
Adamson also surprised San Sebastian with a new defensive weapon in libero Angelica Vasquez, who took over from multi-awarded defensive specialist Lizless Ann Gata and went on to bag the conference’s best digger honors.

The team’s reinforcements also anchored the victory with former MVP Nene Bautista and Michelle Laborte providing the leadership and poise for a young team, particularly in those three five-setters against the Lady Stags.
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