Arellano U gets last ticket to NCAA women’s volleyball action

MANILA: Arellano University relied on an assist from San Beda and its emphatic 25-16, 25-16, 25-16 victory over Jose Rizal U on Tuesday to edge Mapua for the fourth and last ticket to the NCAA Season 99 women's volleyball stepladder semis at the Filoil EcoOil Arena. The Lady Chiefs and the Lady Cardinals both finished with 6-3 records but the former wound up with the higher tiebreaker, thanks to the three-set win and the one set the latter conceded to the Lady Red Spikers in a 25-21, 26-24, 22-25, 25-13 triumph earlier. If Mapua had held on to a straight-set result, it would have claimed the last semis trip instead of AU. 'Na-realize nila kailangan namin manalo straight sets para makapasok sa apat, masaya ako nag-respond sila (They realized that we need to win straight sets to enter the Final Four, I'm happy that they responded),' AU coach Obet Javier said. AU, a former four-time league champion, thus completed its semis return after failing to make it that far a season back. It also joined the College o f St. Benilde (9-0), Letran (6-2), and Lyceum of the Philippines (6-3) in the playoff round unfolding on Sunday. The Lady Knights still have a game to play against the already eliminated San Sebastian Lady Stags on Wednesday and a win would seal the No. 2 spot. The stepladder format pits No. 4 AU versus the No. 3 team with the winner clashing with the No. 2 and the one that would emerge from the ashes from it would tackle CSB, which swept the elimination round in nine outings to claim the first seat to the best-of-three titular showdown. San Beda and JRU finished their campaign with a 3-6 and a 1-8 record, respectively. Source: Philippines News Agency