UAAP Volleyball 71: La Salle, FEU, UST, Adamson: Who will go all the way?
PSEP makes a bold prediction as to who will make it to the finals.
The UAAP 71 Women's Volleyball Tournament is scorching hot. The top four teams prevailed and its now time to find out who is the best of the best among the top four.
Its never an easy task in predicting who will make it to the finals. Each team can beat the other at any given day or when they catch the other team on an off day. PSEP likes to take into account the team's past, their season history and try to predict who will survive.
Each person probably has his or her own take as to why their team should win. But PSEP tries to predict, who WILL win. Its not to say it will happen, that's why we call it prediction. But PSEP tries a very calculated and reasonable guess as to who will probably slug it out in the finals.
As they say, Let's get it on...
The Statistical Favorite: La Salle Lady Archers
Even if we admit it or not, statistics do not lie. This season, Manilla Santos and the Lady Archers are the most balanced and
most deadly team on paper. They have power, experience and speed. The best spiker in the league is from their team, none other than Jaqueline Alarca. Other coaches would probably secretly leave their team just to have the chance to coach the Lady Archers. After all, it just seems that the coach just has to sit down and let the girls play and more often than not, they win. And not just win, they shut-out teams. They don't care if you are a good or bad team, if they can shut you out in three sets, they will. They are killers and are dead set on winning.
On defense, two DLSU players are on the top 5 in terms of blocking, Jaqueline Alarca and Charleen Abigail Cruz. Another Lady Archer, Michelle Datuin, is No. 8 in blocking overall as well. In terms if serves, Jaqueline Alarca is second in the league. La Salle Setter Ma. Klarissa Martinez is 4th in the league as well. Meanwhile Melissa Gohing is 7th in the league in digs and 4th in the league as a receiver.
As a team, La Salle is No. 1 in terms of spikes with a success rate of 34.51%
The La Salle team is also second in the league in blocking as well as in serving.
Probable weakness: statistically, the only chink in their armour is in terms of digs. other than that, they are a lean mean green volleyball machine.
The Dark Horse: Adamson Lady Falcons
Adamson is not as strong as they were a few seasons ago. But Adamson is one dark horse you cannot just take for granted. Actually, Adamson leads the league in receptions and digs as a team better than La Salle or FEU.
The top two receivers of the league are from Adamson, Lizlee Ann Gata and Angela Benting. Lizlee Ann Gata is also the No. 2 digger in the league. Angela Benting on the other hand is 3rd in terms of serves.
Paulina Soriano is 3rd in the league in terms of spiking and Angela Benting is 4th in the league in scoring.
Their setter Jennifer Hiponia is second in the league in setting with an average of 15.02 by set.
There is not one Adamson player on the top ten of the league in terms of blocking. Something other teams can exploit fully.
Adamson seems to have a weakness in setting the ball and their service. Statistics has shown they not doing so good in this
department compared to a team like FEU for example. They are also not a very defensive team this year being only 5th as a team in blocking. (UP has a better statistic in blocking than Adamson as of this writing)
They are 3rd in the league as a team in spiking the ball with a success rate of 31.61%
Given all these, they are a team that is strong but not as strong as FEU or La Salle. Unless Adamson Coach Minerva has something up her sleeve that we don't know about, it will be very hard for Adamson to make it to the finals. Its possible but very unlikely given the caliber and talent of the other three teams.
The Crowd Favorite: UST Lady Tigers
It seems everywhere I go and watch a UST game, thousands come to watch. It does help that they house a gazillion students in their campus and each student is seemingly sports crazy to watch the games whether they be it in FEU gym or The Arena in San Juan. Their cheering section, the Tiger pack, is always there to support the UST team, win or lose and they always know when to cheer for their team either to spark a rally or to just egg them on when the chips are down.
Aiza Maizo. Need I say more? Shall I stop? Aiza is a powerhouse all by herself. She is probably a reincarnation of Balse and
Bernal in another lifetime. She is the runaway league leader in terms of scoring. And you have to hand it to her, she plays when her team needs her, sometimes with a sore back or sore foot, heck I think she will try to play on crutches as long as she can help UST win. She is also the league leader in blocks. Kinda reminds me of Shaquille, offense and defense all in one player.
The next top scorer for UST, Bernice Abigail Co is 13th in the stats board, its not too good for UST scoring wise because each
memeber in UST needs to step up if they want to have a chance at winning or at least make it to the finals.
Maika Angela Ortiz is No. 2 in the league for spikes. Only Jaqueline Alarca was better. Aiza Maizo is also 4th in this department. It is a strength UST must capitalize on when they play. If they attack often, chances are they will score.
On defense Maika Angela Ortiz if 4th in the league in blocks (while Aiza is league leader), this statistic actually makes UST a dangerous team when Aiza Maizo is on the court. My suggesion to UST Coach Cesael Delos Santos is to make sure Aiza Maizo is healthy as a bull so she can wreak havoc when she is truly needed and the game could be on the line. Introduce Maizo to ointment, painkillers and Red Bull, lots and lots of Red Bull.
Let's all admit it that this UST team isnt the best in terms of serving. Aiza Maizo can only do so much as she is 5th in the
league in this department. This goes as well for UST in terms of digs. In fact, no UST player is on the top 10 in the league for
digs.
In setting, Rhea Kartrina Dimaculangan is 5th in the league. Whatever happened to Season 69 Top Setter and hot player Denise Tan? Will she play in the next round?
UST sucks in receiving the volleyball. In fact, Marie Michelle Del Rosario is 10th in the league in terms of receiving. All the
other top teams have at least one player in the top five of this department. (Adamson and La Salle have 2 players in the top 8)
The UST team is last in the league in terms of serves as well.
As a team, UST is only 4th in the league in terms of spiking the volleyball with a 31.61% success rate.
They lead in the blocking department as a team with a whopping 125 kill blocks.
Truly, UST is a wildcard for me. They can beat FEU and La Salle any given day, provided Aiza is healthy and at peak performance. Their team emotion is UST's strength and its ironic but sometimes its also their weakness.
I would love to see UST win but they would have to really dig deep and give out an effort worthy of a champion to defeat their
foes.
The League Leader: FEU Lady Tamaraws
They are the hottest team in the UAAP right now. The Lady Tams are virtually spotless except for the opening day loss they had.
Why are they league leaders? Well, Hmm, let's see, Rachel Anne Daquis, Shaira Gonzales, and Mecaila Irish May Morada are No. 2, No. 3 and No. 5 in terms of scoring. Cherry May Vivas is No. 10 in scoring as well.
Ok. We get it. FEU is an offensive team.
Individually, FEU has other aces up their sleeve. Mecaila Irish May Morada is the league leader in terms of serves and 5th in the league in terms of spikes with a success rate of 37.61%
Tamaraw inspirational team leader Rachel Anne Daquis is 5th in the league in terms of blocking with 26 kill blocks.
Shaira Gonzales is is 4th in the league in terms of serves with 17 aces. While fellow Lady Tam Rose Anne Taganas is 5th in the league in terms of digs.
FEU also has the best setter in the tournament which is Lady Tam April Linor Jose with a 15.88 average by set.
If there is any weakness to FEU, its probably in their recievers as they dont have any Lady Tam receiver in the top three.
As a team, they are leading in terms of serves with 98 aces, NO. 1 in terms of sertting, second in terms of spiking, third in terms of receiving, fourth in the league in terss of
blocking, fourth as well in terms of digs,
PSEP Analysis Spiking Blocking Service Digging Setting Receiving Average
FEU 2 4 1 4 1 3 2.5
La Salle 1 2 2 3 2 2 2
UST 4 1 8 6 6 6 5.1
Adamson 3 5 3 1 3 1 2.6
PSEP picks La Salle Lady Archers and FEU Lady Tamaraws to be in the finals based on statistics.
Of course, anything can happen. If FEU becomes over confident in their match, if La Salle wakes up on the wrong side of the bed on game day or if every Tiger Pack of UST comes to attend UST's match with their drums and yellow balloons and support their team, anything and I mean anything can happen.
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