Rising Suns seek Shakey’s V-League crown, history

Games today:  2 p.m. – Army vs Air Force (Battle for third)

4 p.m. – Cagayan vs Smart (Championship)

MANILA, Philippines - In the doorstep of history, Cagayan Province sets out for its most important match in the Shakey’s V-League Open Conference, seeking the most important win in pursuit of a never-before-heard feat in the country’s premier women’s volley league.

“We have a chance to write history on Sunday (today) so we might as well go for it,” said Cagayan coach Nes Pamilar in Filipino after the Rising Suns turned back the stubborn Smart-Maynilad Net Spikers, 26-24, 25-11, 23-25, 11-25, 15-12, in last Tuesday’s opener of their best-of-three title playoff at The Arena in San Juan.

Not only did it stretch Cagayan’s unbeaten run to 15 but it also moved the Rising Suns a win away from completing a first-ever perfect campaign in any conference in the decade-long staging of the league sponsored by Shakey’s.

Given the level-playing field since the league’s inaugurals in 2004, no team, not even those with star-studded rosters, ever got close to completing a sweep.

But through hard work, preparation and determination, the Rising Suns are proving it can be done.

“Honestly, we didn’t really expect to have this kind of streak because our mentality is just to play hard and go hard for a win every game,” said Pamilar. “So, most of us, including myself, are not really thinking of a sweep, but to win a championship.”

“Maybe everything will sink in if it comes but for the meantime, we’ll just go out there to play and try to win it,” he added.

The Rising Suns, led by the fearsome threesome of Thai Kannika Thipachot and former UST stars Aiza Maizo and Angeli Tabaquero, shoot for glory and history in the 4 p.m. game, to be aired live on GMA News TV Channel 11, according to the organizing Sports Vision.

Army, meanwhile, also tries to wrap its own series for third with Air Force at 2 p.m.