PLDT Home Telpad takes on winless Meralco on Tuesday hoping to stay in the hunt for the second finals berth in women’s play while Instituto Estetico Manila (IEM) seeks to rejoin idle Systema in the men’s lead in the Shakey’s V-League Season 11 Third Conference at The Arena in San Juan.
In third spot with a 1-2 won-lost card, the Turbo Boosters set out for the all-important win against the Power Spikers, whom they swept in their first round face-off on October 9, only to drop their next two matches to the Cagayan Valley Rising Suns and the unbeaten Army Lady Troopers.
Those setbacks sent PLDT Home Telpad to the brink with three games left in its schedule in the double-round elims among four teams in the season-ending conference sponsored by Shakey’s and backed by Mikasa and Accel.
Meralco, on the other hand, is virtually out of the race with a 0-4 card, although it still hopes to sweep its last two games and pray that Cagayan and PLDT won’t go over two wins to force a playoff for the last finals berth.
Game time is at 6 p.m.
IEM, meanwhile, tries to get back at first round tormentor Rizal Technological University in their 4 p.m. duel with the Volley Masters confident of breaking its win-loss-win start with another victory keeping it alongside Systema in the lead.
But with a 1-2 record, the Blue Thunder must also pile up as many wins as they could to remain the title race.
Games could be viewed live via streaming on www.v-league.ph, according to the organizing Sports Vision.
Meanwhile, Army bucked the absence of ace hitter Rachel Ann Daquis to thwart the upset bid of Meralco, 25-23, 23-25, 25-20, 25-19, late Sunday to nail the first championship berth.
Mary Jean Balse and Nerissa Bautista uncorked 15 hits apiece, while Dindin Santiago and setter Tina Salak added 11 markers each as the Lady Troopers booked their fourth-straight victory, moving two wins away from sweeping the elims.
“We needed players to step up because we knew beforehand that Rachel isn’t playing [Sunday],” said Army Coach Rico de Guzman, referring to the former Far Eastern University star who was GlobalPort’s muse in the Philippine Basketball Association Season 40 opener also last Sunday. “I’m glad Ging [Balse] and Nene [Bautista] filled that hole.”
Image credits: Roy Domingo