Games on Sunday
2 p.m. – Adamson vs FEU
4 p.m. – UST vs SSC

SAN SEBASTIAN ROUTS UST IN GAME 1 OF CHAMPIONSHIPS sebastian

San Sebastian College coach Roger Gorayeb’s deft changes in both offense and defense helped turn what many thought would be a close game into a veritable rout as the Lady Stags took Game 1 of their best-of-three championship series in the Shakey’s V League against UST in straight sets at The Arena in San Juan before a large crowd of fans.

University of Santos Tomas appeared listless and out-of-sync as the Lady Stags raced to a straight sets victory-25-17, 25-22, 25-19 to gain a psychological edge in their title showdown in the Shakey’s V-League presented by Cherifer.

Gorayeb delivered on his promise to provide a potent combination of power, defense and poise to move within one win of fashioning out back-to-back title triumph over the same UST squad they swept in last year’s second conference finals.

San Sebastian’s Thai import Jaroensri Bualee was at her deadliest best and anchored the awesome and balanced offense with the league’s top scorer with 16 hits including 15 unstoppable spikes.

Just as Gorayeb had planned in conversations with his players as they prepared for the championship showdown against a UST team that had beaten them twice this conference Bualee got tremendous support from team captain Rysabelle Devanadera who is at joint No. 12 in the scoring roster after the Final Four. Devanadera switched to attack mode from the start firing 15 points on quick plans while Analyn Benito with `12 points, guest player Suzanne Roces with 11 and Laurence Ann Latigay with 10 composed an awesome five-some that accounted for all but one of San Sebastian ’s 75 points in an encounter that lasted one hour and 12 minutes.

In a post-game interview with www.insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports coach Gorayeb said “this is the finals and the feeling is different. They may have beaten us in the eliminations and quarter finals but those games mean nothing. This is the most important and we wanted it.”

Tactically, Gorayeb explained “we tried to control their main spikers” even as he noted that UST “didn’t play well because of their reception. When we lost to them it was we who had poor reception and committed errors.”

He said if he asked Bualee to “stay in one position they know how Jeng will play but we made some adjustments and over the past two or three days we tried to get what was the best possible play out of this and luckily she clicked. She played exceptionally well.”

Gorayeb said he drove home the point that he wanted a team game and told his players “if you want to win you play as one person. Your idea and my idea should jibe. If you have an idea and I don’t know what it is, if its not okay we won’t be together. But if I have another idea and you don’t want it just tell me. During practice we adjusted at certain points and everything was pkay.”

Lady Stags setter Charisse Ancheta had one point in the game but produced 79 excellent sets, mostly for Bualee and Devanadera.

A service ace by Roces gave SSC a 21-9 lead in the third set and although the Tigresses fought back by taking nine of the next 10 points, capped by a block by Mary Jean Balse, the Lady Stags went to Devanadera, who scored on quick plays to complete the sweep.

SSC seized control early at 9-2 in the opening set but UST, with Balse taking charge, tied it at 10 before Bualee and Benito combined to carry the team to the win which the Lady Stags sustained in a tight second set victory.

Balse finished with 16 for UST but guest player Michelle Carolino, who averaged in double figures from the elims to the semis, played poorly and was held to a conference-low nine points.

In the battle for third Adamson drew a big offensive game from Jill Gustilo as it turned back Far Eastern U, 26-24, 25-17, 25-27, 25-19, to likewise gain the upperhand in the league sponsored Shakey’s Pizza and Cherifer and organized by Sports Vision.

Gustilo, who normed only seven spikes from the elims to the semis to finish No. 18 in the scoring list, made 14 kills and finished with 17 points as she helped power the dethroned Lady Falcons to victory.

Guest player and MVP Nerissa Bautista, back in the fold after a stint in a beach volley tilt in Vietnam, top-scored for Adamson with 19 points but yielded the spiking honors to Gustilo as she wound up with 13 attacks in their four-set win.

Volleyball fans can watch the live webcast of the games by logging on to www.v-league.ph. Adamson-FEU match will also be shown on NBN-4 starting at 2 p.m. Friday.

A service ace by Roces gave SSC a 21-9 lead in the third set and although the Tigresses fought back by taking nine of the next 10 points, capped by a block by Mary Jean Balse, the Lady Stags went to Devanadera, who scored on quick plays to complete the sweep.

Balse finished with 16 for UST but guest player Michelle Carolino, who averaged in double figures from the elims to the semis, played poorly and was held to a conference-low nine points.
SSC seized control early at 9-2 in the opening set but UST, with Balse taking charge, tied it at 10 before Bualee and Benito combined to carry the team to the win which the Lady Stags sustained in a tight second set victory.

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