Far Eastern U and Perpetual Help face-off on Sunday while Ateneo and La Salle collide in a pair of sudden deaths for the other final berths in the women’s and men’s sides, respectively, of the V-League Collegiate Challenge at the Paco Arena in Manila.
Rookie Keisha Bedonia stepped up to power the top-seed Lady Tamaraws past the Lady Altas, 23-25, 25-23, 25-17, 25-13, last Friday as they forced the decider in their best-of-three playoff.
"Ang mindset siguro is gagawin naming doble, o kung kaya triple o higit pa, yung init. Kasi for sure 'yun rin ang mararamdaman ng Perps, sino ba naman ang gustong natalo, di ba," said FEU interim coach Manolo Refugia.
But expect the Lady Altas, who surprised the Lady Tamaraws in Game One, 25-21, 28-26, 26-24, to likewise make the necessary adjustments, ensuring a slam-bang action in the 2 p.m. clash between two talented squads seeking to dispute the women’s tiara against the College of Saint Benilde side.
The Lady Blazers swept the University of the East Lady Warriors, capping it with a 25-21, 25-13, 25-10 victory in Game two to clinch the first finals seat in the tournament organized by Sports Vision and sponsored by Bola.TV, Beyond Active Wear, and Mikasa.
The 4 p.m. duel between the long-feuding schools also promises to be tight and fierce with the Green Spikers hoping to ride the momentum of their 25-21, 25-21, 25-21 Game Two win last Friday.
Noel Kampton exploded for 26 points to pace the Green Spikers.
"Lagi kong sinasabi sa kanila nagagawa nating sa training, and the least I could do is 'yung trust ko sa kanila, 'yung belief ko na nagagawa natin kahit ano pa 'yung gusto natin," said acting De La Salle head coach Jose Roque.
The winner meets UST, which toppled FEU in the other semis pairing, for the championship.
All games are streamed live at the V-League official website Bola.TV app, and the V-League official YouTube channel.
