Ateneo has the momentum but University of Santo Tomas has the experience as the Lady Eagles and the Tigresses clash today for the right to face San Sebastian College for the Shakey’s V-League Second Conference crown at The Arena in San Juan.

The Lady Eagles swept their last three games in the semifinals, including a come-from-behind 20-25, 25-21, 25-19, 25-22 victory over the Tigresses Sunday to force a playoff for the second championship berth with their victim.

In contrast, the España-based spikers go into the 5 p.m. match reeling from back-to-back setbacks, their bid for a second straight championship now under threat from a surging Ateneo side.

While Ateneo boasts of a highly charged offensive player in Lithawat Kesinee, the Lady Eagles went to their defense in repeating over the Tigresses, who they nipped in five sets in their elims faceoff.

“We made key adjustments after the first set by playing good defense in the last three,” said Ateneo coach Ron Dulay.

The win enabled Ateneo, which trained in Thailand for three weeks to hone up for the tournament, to tie UST for second at the close of the semis with 8-3 cards.

San Sebastian took the first championship berth with a 10-1 slate.

Kesinee, the league’s leading scorer (20-point average) and blocker (10), scattered 29 points Sunday, including 27 attacks. But it was the Lady Eagles’ solid all-around game that clinched the win for Ateneo, eyeing a first-ever crack at the crown in the league sponsored by Shakey’s Pizza.

Kesinee is again expected to lead Ateneo’s charge along with Denise Acevedo, Ma. Rosario Soriano, Karla Bello, Patricia Taganas and Bea Pascual as the Lady Eagles try to set up a title showdown with the Lady Stags.

But the Tigresses will surely be going flat out for the victory as they seek to keep their domination of the league after ruling the first conference with a sweep over SSC in the final on July.

Aside from its championship experience, UST, which ruled the inaugural staging of the event organized by Sports Vision in 2004 before yielding the crown to La Salle in the next two conferences, will rely on the all-Filipino crew of Angeli Tabaquero, Mary Jean Balse, Venus Bernal and guest player Suzanne Roces.

The winner will meet San Sebastian in a best-of-three title duel starting Friday while the loser will drop into a separate best-of-three battle for third with Adamson.

The Ateneo-UST knockout game will be aired tomorrow at NBN 4 starting at 2 p.m.

For updates on the country’s premier volley league, backed by Mikasa, Accel, 100Plus Isotonic Drink, Coca-Cola and Active White Skin whitening products, log on to www.v-league.ph.

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Ateneo has the momentum but University of Santo Tomas has the experience as the Lady Eagles and the Tigresses clash today for the right to face San Sebastian College for the Shakey’s V-League Second Conference crown at The Arena in San Juan.

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