Ateneo, Adamson near UAAP volleyball semis

Ateneo and Adamson moved on the verge of completing the Final Four cast after defeating their respective rivals Sunday in the 73rd UAAP women's volleyball tournament at The Arena in San Juan.

The Lady Eagles beat Far Eastern University, 25-17, 25-19, 25-19, while the Lady Falcons downed University of the Philippines, 25-20, 25-21, 25-22. Both teams kept themselves tied for third place with identical 7-4 slates, and will each only need a win to formalize their entry into the Final Four. Already in the semifinals are La Salle and defending champion University of Santo Tomas, which beat University of the East, 25-14, 25-18, 25-17. Dzi Gervacio and Fille Cainglet, both recruited by Ateneo in 2009, led the way with 15 and 10 points, respectively, while Gretchen Ho and Kara Acevedo chipped in seven points each. It was the sixth consecutive win for the Lady Eagles, who went 1-4 near the homestretch of the elimination round. Meanwhile, Pau Soriano knocked in 17 points while veteran spiker Angela Benting and Shiela Pineda added 12 points each for the Lady Falcons, who trounced UP in 69 minutes of action. Now carrying a 3-8 record, FEU will miss the Final Four for the second straight year, a rare sequence for a squad which holds the UAAP record of 29 titles. The Tamaraws last won a title in 2007. Veteran Maica Morada had 12 hits for the Lady Tamaraws.- KY, RCJ, GMANews.TV