Lady Falcons thwart Tigresses, gain semis; Tams also advance

MANILA, Philippines — Adamson University averted letdowns in the last two sets to deal University of Santo Tomas its first loss, 15-25, 26-24, 25-23, 25-20, while keeping and stretching its own unbeaten run to five to barge into the semifinals of the Premier Volleyball League Season 2 Collegiate Conference at the Filoil Flying V Center in San Juan yesterday.

The Lady Falcons leveled the match in the second set in scary fashion and had to hold sway in the stretch of the third frame after nearly blowing a 17-6 lead. They again fell to the same mistake in the fourth, almost squandering a 14-6 advantage before hanging tough to escape with the win.

The Lady Falcons thus seized the top spot and joined the Eya Laure-less Tigresses in the Final Four of the mid-season conference of the league organized by Sports Vision.

Adamson, however, will have little time to rest as it takes on San Beda at 2 p.m. today in a rare back-to-back outing by the San Marcelino-based squad.

“I just think we’re still inconsistent. I think when my team gets leads, they tend to be complacent and over relaxed. They haven’t found the right balance between playing hard, staying focused and having fun. It’s like sometimes they turn into toddlers out there. They get too careless. We made errors and before they realize it, the other team is back in it,” said Lady Falcons coach Air Padda.

Far Eastern U rode high on its come-from-behind fourth set win as it came out charging in the decider to upend an erratic University of the Philippines side, 15-25, 25-23, 15-25, 25-23, 15-7, to book the third semis ticket later in the day.

The Lady Tams stole the fourth set on a searing 9-2 finish to force the decider where they stormed to a 10-3 lead en route to a 5-1 card despite missing middle blockers Celine Domingo and Czarina Carandang.

Domingo rode the bench with a swollen left knee while Carandang was confined in the hospital after experiencing difficulty in breathing.

“Heading into the fifth set, I told them that the game doesn’t end at the fourth set. We still have a chance to win. What’s important is their willingness and fighting spirit,” said FEU coach George Pascua.