The STANDS: An INQUIRER Sports Newsletter

 

April 19, 2024

La Salle remains upbeat about its title defense.. (UAAP Media)

Hey there sports fan, How about this UAAP women's volleyball season, huh? All that action, all the stunning reversals has left as here, where three teams are still in contention for the twice-to-beat bonus. That semifinal protection will shield the top two teams at the end of the elimination round, forcing the need to win twice in a row on teams Nos. 3 and 4 to advance to the championship.  National U's victory over La Salle allowed the chase to be simplified to one key matchup: The Lady Spikers battle the University of Santo Tomas Tigresses in their last assignment before the semifinals and the winner of that duel will likely clinch one of the two top spots. La Salle's only worry now is the status of star spiker Angel Canino, who has been out of commission because of a hand injury. The Lady Spikers have been winning without her, but it is clear the defending champions might need her to suit up against the Tigresses. For UST, Angge Poyos' health will also be a concern after she missed the crucial fourth set of a stunning loss to Far Eastern U. The Tigresses hope that in the event Poyos will be less than a hundred percent against La Salle, the rest of the team will pick up the slack. Among the leaders of UST is setter Cassie Carballo, who shares a matching tattoo with one of her teammates. Care to guess who? The answer will be at the end of this email. Without Canino, meanwhile, La Salle has been riding the likes of Shevana Laput and Julia Coronel.

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Creamline is slowly rediscovering its killer form.  (PVL IMAGES)

Meanwhile... The PBA and the PVL are also heating up as both leagues are slowly going into the deeper phases of their current tournaments. In the PVL All-Filipino, five teams have two losses each and with only four teams qualifying for the semifinals, expect a whirlwind finish to the eliminations. Looking for a key match? Try Creamline vs PLDT on April 25. That could very well decide the Final 4. What we're up to next: It's gut-check time in the UAAP, PVL and PBA. Keep it here on all our platforms to read the latest news and the best lean-back features. Number of the Week: 22 Caitlin Clark's jersey number when she suits up for the Indiana Fever in the WNBA.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK “We didn't lose the game. We learned from it.” —UST Tigresses coach Kungfu Reyes, after his team lost in an upset to FEU. Olympics.

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Reg Jurado. That's the answer to the trivia question above. Think you can ace the rest of the quiz? head over to our Viber community and try the test out! Buy the Inquirer at newsstands, subscribe to our digital edition, Inquirer Plus, visit our online site and follow us on socials (Twitter: @inquirersports; FB: facebook.com/inquirersports) for more stories and updates—or to send us questions or suggestions of stories you'd want to read. See you next Friday! Francis Francis T. J. Ochoa is the Sports Editor of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. For comments, suggestions and questions, hit him up on Twitter (@ftjochoaINQ).