Lady Troopers book semis ticket in Shakey’s V-League

THE Army Lady Troopers gained a semifinals berth after they swept the Navy Lady Sailors, 25-14, 25-17, 25-14, in the Shakey’s V-League Season 12 Reinforced Conference at The Arena in San Juan City late Saturday.

The Lady Troopers played no tricks and were all business in dominating their opponents from the get-go and claimed the win and the Final Four spot in just 66 minutes. Honey Royse Tubino and Jovelyn Gonzaga combined for 33 hits, including 23 kills, as the Lady Troopers produced 38 attack points, 14 more than the Lady Sailors. Gonzaga also foiled three of Navy’s attacks as the fancied team came through with eight blocks against their rivals’ one.

Army, runner-up to absentee Cagayan Valley here last year, also pummeled Navy’s token reception and came away with eight aces while holding their foes without an ace with their solid defense on the other end. The lopsided win was the third straight for Army, lining itself for a possible sweep with victories over struggling Coast Guard on Nov. 8 and against contender University of the Philippines on Nov. 11.

The loss dropped Navy to solo four at 2-2, allowing Coast Guard (1-3) and even winless Kia Forte (0-3) to stay in the semis race.

Pau Soriano struggled for nine hits while Lilet Mabbayad groped for five points for Navy, which rebounded from an opening game loss to UP with back-to-back victories over Coast Guard and Kia Forte before bowing to the powerhouse Army side.