Lady Bullpups destroy Cal Babies for quarters seat
Defending champion National University Nazareth School booked a quarterfinals seat after sweeping California Academy, 25-22, 25-13, in the Shakey’s Girls Volleyball Invitational League (SGVIL) Rising Stars Cup Division 1 on Sunday at the La Salle Green Hills Gym.
The Lady Bullpups plucked a third straight victory and kept a tight grip on top Pool A spot, as Xyz Rayco led a balanced scoring effort with seven points, with Ysabella Cruz finishing with six and the trio of Jhayna Bulandres, Raine Alonzo and Jaila Adrao accounting for four each.
Cal Academy, the Season 1 titlist, slumped to a 1-1 card, even as NUNS shoots for a group stage sweep against Bethel Academy on Monday.
Meanwhile, Bacolod Tay Tung, the second placer last year, earned a spot in the knockout round with a 25-17, 25-18 drubbing of listless Holy Rosary College in Pool B also for a 3-0 slate.
Rhose Almendralejo flexed her scoring prowess with a game-high 18 points, while Alexa Bertolano added seven for the Thunderbolts.
“We need all the momentum we can get heading into the quarterfinals,” Almendralejo, who had 10 kills and eight aces, said in Filipino after their 48-minute win.
Immaculate Conception College stunned reigning NCAA champion University of Perpetual Help System Dalta, 11-25, 25-14, 16-14, to also rise to 3-0 and claim the other quarter’s seat in Pool B.
The Thunderbolts and Blue Hawks meet on Monday to determine their seedings in the next round.
De La Salle Zobel beat winless Chiang Kai Shek College, 25-20, 25-21, to close its run in Pool D with an even 2-2 card.
In Division 2 action, unbeaten Corpus Christi School advanced to the quarters after claiming a fourth straight win at the expense of hapless The Beacon Academy, 25-11, 25-7, in Pool E, while NUNS-B entered the next stage following a 25-8, 25-18 sweep of Assumption Antipolo for a 4-0 record in Pool G.
Bacolod Tay Tung-B also gained entry to the quarters after closing its Pool H run with a 4-1 slate capped by a 25-18, 25-17 win over La Salle Zobel-B.
