Lady Altas one step closer to NCAA Championship with Final Four bid

“Lady Altas sealed Final Four cast. Defuse Lady Bombers in 4sets #NCAAseason94 Women’s Volleyball Tournament. (25-13, 19-25, 25-21, 25-14)” (Photo: Dennis Abrina/Facebook)

The University of Perpetual Help Lady Altas is officially the last team to enter the Final Four of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Season 94 women’s volleyball league as they conquered Jose Rizal University (JRU) during a four-set game last Thursday, January 17 at the San Juan Arena.

The set scores ended at 25-13, 19-25, 25-21, and 25-14 with Cindy Imbo leading her team with a game-high 18 points, 14 of them being kills and four being service aces. She also performed defensively with 22 digs and nine excellent receptions. Teammates Blanca Tripoli, Shyra Mae Umandal, and Jhona Rosal impressed as well, with 14 hits, and two sets of 13 markers respectively. As for JRU, Dolly Grace Verzosa and Karen Montojo provided 17 and 11 points respectively, but it only landed their team sixth place overall as they finish with a 4-5 standing.

Lady Altas head coach Macky Carino shared that he simply told his team, “If we lose, we’re out,” stating in Filipino, “We knew what would happen during the game today. If we won, we would proceed. If we lost, we would be removed. So, that’s what I said, it’s a matter of choice if you want to enter the semis, then you have to play even better.”

Because both men’s and juniors teams of their alma mater is performing their season with a sweep, Coach Macky added that he “wants to look up to them,” saying, “For now, we’re focused on the Final Four first, on how to beat St. Benilde twice.”

For their semifinals run, the University of Perpetual Help, who has a 5-3 win-loss record, will be facing the College of Saint Benilde, who has a twice-to-beat advantage because they hold the top seed. The two teams’ first face-off is next Tuesday, January 22.