THE GREEN CORNER #5: CONTRAPELLOS AND ALL THAT JAZZ

Written by Jannie Gavile and Benj Zabat

This coming Saturday is probably the best day in UAAP Sesaon 72. It will most likely showcase the four teams that will meet in the Final Four. So for those four timers, you guys are lucky if ever you’ll watch it live or on tv, because you are bound to have one crazy day of volleyball. For sure the coming weekend will not only feature great match-ups but the duration of the games might just be very long that Batman Series and Oprah Winfrey might not be able to catch up anymore with their program in Studio 23. Hehe. Kidding aside, the upcoming weekend is spectacular. I just don’t get why they have to put the more exciting games on a Saturday. For sure the games tomorrow will be very exciting.

Forgive me guys for we have to finish this article by 12 AM so we’re kind of in a hurry. Hahaha. Anyway, here are our predictions for the coming weekend games.

UST-AdU

First Round Encounter: UST def. AdU – 18-25, 25-20, 25-23, 25-15

Perhaps one of the greater mismatches or contrapellos this season even on off-season tournaments, it has always been the Lady Falcons’ solid floor defense against the Tigresses solid blocking. On their first meeting, it was the tigresses with their solid blocking and very efficient attacks that won in four sets although a close one at that especially the second and third sets respectively. Although they won the game, the Tigresses still have deep, deep issues within them. They have tendencies to: start slow, be complacent for a long time, have lapses on floor defense and be overconfident in their match of which a good example would be their game against UP. They were showing a pretty impressive game but suddenly, it was obvious that they lost focus on the third set forcing them into four sets. The Lady Falcons on the other hand offers this very solid floor defense along with the efficient attacks of Benting, Soriano and Gustilo as well as the good blocking that is being shown by Patilano and Soriano. If UST can play as tough as La Salle and if Adamson can be as creative and as smart with their attacks, it would still be anybody’s ball game but if UST would play well tomorrow, I can still see them winning this game again in four to five sets.

ADMU-DLSU

First Round Encounter: DLSU def. ADMU – 25-17, 28-26, 23-23

Despite the first round three set win by La Salle, basing on the scores, when I also watched the game, my heart was beating fast especially in the rallies by both squads. La Salle is obviously on an 8 game winning streak right now and is very determined to make it their 9th against no other than their archrivals. You gotta be impressed at the dedication and the hardwork of the Lady Spikers. Despite losing key players and having a lot of injured players, they remain to be the team to beat. Call it heart, but yeah, it’s probably a factor that you may consider whenever watching an Ateneo vs La Salle game. The Ateneo Lady Eagles is so far in a see-saw performance this season. Though with five wins, I must say that I have yet to see their best game, wherein every player in the first six is functioning. La Salle meanwhile has the attitude that despite being down, they make do with their floor defense or blocking which is why they are able to catch up. This one was very evident in the game last week against Adamson where Adamson led most of the game but La Salle murders them with a lot of heartbreak points. Ateneo is an inconsistent team, in fact, you’ll never know when some of the players truly want to play. However, if tomorrow’s game is the game where they will have their best game, it sure is dangerous for La Salle. If I remember it right, last year, Ateneo and La Salle fought off in a 5 set second round encounter which tested the former rookie team’s character. Apparently, they lost but the mere fact that they can match up with La Salle says a lot about the coming game tomorrow. For sure, both teams won’t let down their fans and will play their truly best. At the end of the day and after all, it is an Ateneo vs La Salle game. No game in the UAAP beats an Ateneo vs La Salle, be it basketball, volleyball or whichever sport. However, given the experience, maturity and the ability to stand up to pressure, I still see La Salle winning this in four to five sets. Let the girls from Katipunan prove me wrong.

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