LYCEUM of the Philippines University (LPU) and Arellano University (AU) face off for solo second place on Tuesday’s National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Season 97 volleyball resumption at the Paco Arena.
The Cromwell Garcia-mentored Lady Pirates will try to ride the crest of their 25-19, 25-22, 20-25, 25-23 victory over the San Beda Red Spikers on Saturday that sent them in a heavy five-way logjam at second spot with identical 2-1 slates.
The Lady Chiefs, the reigning three-peat champions and winners of four of the last five, for their part, aim to redeem themselves from a painful 26-24, 26-24, 25-20 defeat at the hands of the San Sebastian College (SSC) Lady Stags the same day.
They share No. 2 with SSC, Jose Rizal University and Mapua.
The winner in their 2:30 p.m. showdown will jump to solo second behind a pace-setting College of St. Benilde, the league’s lone unbeaten team with a 3-0 card.
Expect LPU to rely anew on Janeth Tulang, who waxed poetic by firing 15 points in the Lady Pirates’ most recent win.
The power-spiking Mr. Tulang is one of the league’s top scorers and is currently ranked third in that category behind SSC’s prolific pair of Reyann Cañete and Katherine Santos.
Meanwhile, University of Perpetual Help System DELTA (UPHSD) guns for its second win in three starts while Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC) shoots for its first triumph after three losses in row as the two collide at 12 p.m. — Joey Villar
