GRETCHEL SOLTONES leads San Sebastian College’s campaign, hoping to bring her Most Valuable Player (MVP) form to the Shakey’s V-League Season 13 Collegiate Conference that kicks off on Saturday at the Ynares Arena in Pasig City.
Soltones played a key role for BaliPure, which clinched third-place honors in the recent Open Conference, and ran away with the MVP trophy.
The jump-serving, power-hitting ace is eager to steer the Lady Stags to a strong finish after missing the semifinals of last year’s edition won by National University.
“We’re a veteran team and I have faith in my teammates that we’ll do better this conference,” said the 20-year-old Soltones, a native of San Jose, Catmon, in Cebu and a Business Management senior.
Soltones’s team didn’t fare well in this conference last year after she was temporarily switched into a libero from her natural position as a spiker to rest her injured shoulder.
San Sebastian won only one of its five assignments and crashed out of the quarterfinals of the tournament sponsored by Shakey’s.
But Soltones and the Lady Stags vowed to strike back this time, starting against the Perpetual Help Lady Altas in the 6 p.m. main game of an explosive twinbill.
Perpetual Help surprised the field when it made the Final Four in last year’s National Collegiate Athletic Association, despite parading a young roster headed by Jamela Suyat. The Lady Altas are upbeat of their chances against nine other squads in the conference, backed by Mikasa as the league’s official ball and Accel as official outfitter.
University of the Philippines, meanwhile, faces first-timer San Beda at 4 p.m. with the Lady Maroons raring to showcase their vastly improved form following a third-place finish in last year’s Reinforced Conference and a strong showing in the recent Open tournament.
All Shakey’s V-League games, set Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, will be shown live on ABS-CBN Sports + Action Channel 23, according to the organizing Sports Vision. Matches can also be viewed live via streaming on www.v-league.ph.
The Spikers’ Turf Season 2 Collegiate Conference, which features 12 teams, also begins on Saturday with De La Salle battling College of St. Benilde at 11 a.m. and UP tangling with NCAA runner-up Emilio Aguinaldo College at 1 p.m.