After V-League, Adamson Eyes UAAP Title

MANILA, Philippines — Adamson coach Dulce Pante hopes that its victory in the just-concluded Shakey's V-League second conference will inspire her players to prepare harder for a bigger task ahead – winning the UAAP volleyball crown.

“We hope to ride on the momentum of this victory going into the UAAP,” said Pante in Filipino after the Lady Falcons churned out a surprise, 26-24, 25-17, 25-16, victory over San Sebastian-Excelroof to win their second championship Thursday at The Arena in San Juan.

With the victory, the Lady Falcons became instant heavy favorites in the UAAP hostilities which start in November.

Pante is upbeat of their chances, saying: “We're confident we'll do better because my line up remains intact.”

The Lady Falcons are hoping to improve on their fourth place finish in last UAAP season, although they are expecting tough opposition from reigning champion University of Santo Tomas, La Salle and Ateneo.

Paulina Soriano and Angela Benting, who have teamed up to rule the just-concluded UAAP beach volleyball tourney, are expected to lead the Falcons in their bid to win only their third UAAP title.

In securing their second V-League title, the Lady Falcons thus joined UST and La Salle in the elite roster of teams which have won at least two titles since the league was established in 2004.

Behind the heroics of guest players Nerissa Bautista and Michelle Laborte, the Lady Falcons took Game 1 in five sets, but the SSC lasses leveled the series with a four-set win, before Adamson wrapped it up in Game 3.

“We were able to check their game and (take advantage of) their weaknesses,” said Pante, 66, whose squad took the fight out of the SSC belles after taking a tightly-fought first set, 26-24.

Adamson sustained its form in the second set, pouncing on the Stags’ errors to build leads as many as nine, 16-7, then by 10 in the third set to complete the title win after winning the 2008 first conference title at the expense of Ateneo.

Bautista, adjudged as the series MVP, finished with 17 points for the San Marcelino-based squad, which denied the SSC spikers of their second title despite reaching the finals for seven times.

Soriano (Best Blocker) and Benting (Best Receiver) fired 13 apiece as the Falcons downed San Sebastian in one of the quickest finals matches in league history that took only 69 minutes to finish.

Francis Santiago, Manila Bulletin