The Stands: An INQUIRER Sports Newsletter

 

April 26, 2024

National University gets a playoff bonus first. (AUGUST DELA CRUZ)

Hey there sports fan, Before anything else, how about we give the St. Benilde Lady Blazers their much-deserved share of the spotlight? Also, we did an interesting primer on the three artistic gymnastics events that Carlos Yulo will focus on as he seeks podium finishes in the Paris Olympics later this year. You can read the three-part "The Art of Yulo" series here, here and here.    That series will give you an  idea about how performances are scored in the Olympics and will also  introduce you to Yulo's bag of tricks, including the answer to this trivia question: The Nagornyy triple pike is a move performed in what event in artistic gymnastics? We will share the answer here at the end of this email. So, it must feel great to be a Lady Bulldog nowadays. Entering the second preliminary round of the UAAP Season 86 women's volleyball tournament, National U was at third place, behind the surprising University of Santo Tomas and defending champion La Salle. But NU has swept the second round and is now the first team to qualify for twice-to-beat protection in the Final Four. And make ni mistake about it, the Lady Bulldogs plan to leave that semifinal benefit unused.

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Chery Tiggo drove itself into the semifinals and PLDT out of contention.  (AUGUST DELA CRUZ)

Meanwhile... The present and the future clashed in the PVL All-Filipino, with Choco Mucho's powerful Sisi Rondina battling Farm Fresh rising star Trisha Tubu. Both are excellent hitters and served up a preview of future clashes. Needless to say, Rondina was impressed with what she saw.  Meanwhile, it took some serious work but Chery Tiggo reached the semifinals anyway. The Crossovers found the Galeries Tower Highrisers a surprisingly tough nut to crack and had to rally for a five-set victory on Thursday evening.  That win but Chery Tiggo in the Final Four and also sealed that cast after officially ousting PLDT.  What we're up to next: We will be tracking three-point milestones in the PBA as well as keep tabs on the Philippine Cup, which is now moving to the homestretch of the elimination round. We'll also continue our coverage of the PVL, UAAP and the NCAA volleyball tournaments so keep it here on all your Inquirer platforms. Number of the Week: 53 Three-pointers Marcio Lassiter needs to make as of this letter's posting to become the all-time leader in that department.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK “We are the saling pusa (outsiders) compared to NU and La Salle, so we would really just want to gate-crash their party.” —UST Tigresses coach Kungfu Reyes, on chasing a top-two berth.

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Floor exercise. 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).

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).

The Stands: An INQUIRER Sports Newsletter

 

April 5, 2024

Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo says au revoir to Paris bid. (REUTERS)

Hey there sports fan, Calvin Abueva has been fined again, this time for flipping the bird. But since we've all cleansed our inner selves over the Holy Week break, let's do away with that story. Instead, this bittersweet update from the world of weightlifting. The Philippines has qualified three lifters to the Paris Olympics: Rosegie Ramos, John Febaur Ceniza and Elreen Ann Ando.  Catching Ando's name there may have given followers of the sport, and of the country's Olympians, a jolt. Could it be? Sadly, yes. Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo failed to make the grade for the Paris Games. Diaz-Naranjo and Ando, both of whom saw their pet divisions scrubbed off the olympic calendar this year, found themselves caught in the same weight class: The women's 59-kg division. And since Olympic rules limit each country to one qualifier per weight, that meant the two lifters would have to go head-to-head. And in the final Olympic qualifier in Thailand, Ando managed to slip past Diaz-Naranjo to book her Paris ticket. “I love this sport, I don’t want to stop,” Diaz-Naranjo told the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF). “But what I have to do now is take a good rest and think about the priorities in my life. Today wasn’t my day. Paris was not to be.”

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Angeline Poyos is on fire.  (UAAP MEDIA)

oMeanwhile... There have been some awesome performances in the UAAP women's volleyball tournament. With Angel Canino struck down by injury, La Salle turned to its bench to show that it is not a one-woman show. National U, meanwhile, has hit its stride and Bella Belen knows why: The Lady Bulldogs have been trying too hard to make this season a redemption tour that they forgot the joy of playing their game. Not anymore. And oh, Angeline Poyos! The early days in the UAAP calendar may have been filled with Casiey Dongallo highlight reels but the University of Santo TOmas rookie is slowly emerging as a star-in-the-making after punching in a season-best 31 points. What we're up to next: UAAP women's volleyball, PVL All-Filipino Conference, PBA Philippine Cup. Need we say anything more? Stick to our platforms for the most in-depth and engaging sports content. Number of the Week: 41 Points scored by Caitlin Clark in the Iowa-LSU Elite Eight showdown in the NCAA women's basketball tournament.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK “I’ve given a lot to this sport and it’s given a lot to me.” —Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo, after missing out on the Paris Olympics.

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There are two answers to our weekly sports quiz in this newsletter. 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).The Stands