LADY STAGS MAKE SEMIS

SAN Sebastian-Excelroof overwhelmed Far Eastern U with its power game to essay a straight-set 25-22, 25-9, 25-17 romp and clinched a Final Four berth in the Shakey’s V-League Season 7 second conference at The Arena in San Juan yesterday.

Jeng Bualee and Suzanne Roces combined for 27 of the Lady Stags’ 45 kills that almost doubled the Lady Tams’ measly 24-attack effort in a 64-minute encounter that was close only in the opening set.

For the Recoletos-based tossers doubled their effort in the second, holding their rivals to just nine points before sustaining their attacking form in the third to complete the victory, their eighth against two loss.

SSC thus broke away from a tie with Adamson (7-2) while dampening FEU’s semifinal bid in the season-ending conference of the league sponsored by Shakey’s Pizza. The Lady Tams stayed in fifth with a 4-5 slated, 1 ½ games behind the fourth-running Lyceum (5-3).

Bualee finished with 18 points while Roces had 10 and Elaine Cruz, Jennelyn Belen, Joy Benito and Melissa Mirasol combined for 24 hits for the Lady Stags.

FEU drew 11 points from Rachel Anne Daquis but no other Tam scored in double figures with Michelle Carolino struggling for six points and Cherry Vivas groping for four hits.

Earlier, Ateneo scrambled past a hard-fighting National U side and took a tough 25-16, 25-21, 24-26, 25-23 decision as it wheeled back into solo third in the quarterfinal round of the tournament organized by Sports Vision and backed by Accel, Mikasa and Excelroof.

The Lady Eagles swept the last five points in the fourth set, completing their fightback from 20-23 down and frustrating the Lady Bulldogs while enhancing their Final Four bid in the season-ending conference of the league.

With a 6-3 (win-loss) card, Ateneo moved up to solo third behind joint leaders San Sebastian-Excelroof and Adamson, which tote identical 7-2 cards heading into the last three playdates of the single round robin, carry-over quarters.

It was a big comeback by the Lady Eagles in the fourth frame as it dropped a close, controversial third set that kept the Lady Bulldogs into the match.

However, the former, which bowed to Lyceum in five after taking the first two sets, recovered in time to wrap up the crucial win in 1:41.