The Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu girls’ volleyball players and coaching staff pose for a group photo after their hard-earned victory against the USP-F Baby Panthers on Saturday. | CDN Digital photo by Glendale Rosal
CEBU CITY, Philippines— The Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu, or SHS-AdC Magis Eagles are just a win away from retaining their Cesafi girls’ volleyball crown.
This was after the Magis Eagles outhustled the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) Baby Panthers, 26-24, 25-23, and 25-20, on Saturday, December 2, 2023, at the University of San Carlos (USC) Main Campus gym.
The defending champions will have a finals rematch against their chief nemesis, the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Jaguars who earlier clobbered the University of Cebu (UC) Baby Webmasters 25-20, 25-16, and 25-8.
READ: USJ-R girls volleyball team beats UC, returns to Cesafi finals
Aside from booking a ticket to the finals, it was also a sweet revenge for the girls of SHS-AdC head coach Mark Donald Macuto who lost to USPF in the elimination round.
The Magis Eagles came into the semifinals as the No. 3 team, while USPF was the No. 2-ranked squad.
Despite losing all three sets, USPF gave the Magis Eagles a good fight. They were leading by six, 15-9, in the first set and had five set points, 24-19 but could convert one as open spiker Samantha Kiara Tatad rallied her teammates to victory.
After tying the score at 24-all, Tatad hammered two successive service aces to allow SHS-AdC to steal the set, 26-24.
In the second set, the Magis Eagles endured another slow start, until they tied the score at 9-all from Bhreanaj Tan Chun Bing’s service ace.
It was a tooth-and-nail battle from that point on with SHS-AdC clinging to a one-point lead, 24-23. Adrianna Eliz Menchavez then scored on an attack as SHS-AdC won the set, 25-23 to go up, 2-0.
Adrianna Eliz Menchavez of SHS-AdC hammers a spike against USP-F’s lone defender during their Cesafi high school girls’ volleyball semifinals. | photo from Sugbuanong Kodaker.
SHS-AdC started the third set on fire, grabbing a, 10-6 lead.
But as expected, the Baby Panthers of veteran coach Yolly Rizarri gallantly rallied and even took the lead, 12-11 from Allaizah Belle Gallarde’s service ace.
However, that proved to be USPF’s last chance to lead as SHS-AdC outscored them, 14-8 to take the set, 25-20, and grab the last finals ticket.
Besides the championship match between SHS-AdC and USJ-R on Sunday, a battle for third will also be held earlier between USPF and UC.
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