By PNA and U.S. News Agency / Asian

Ateneo and Adamson press for their respective title bids at the start of the Final Four of the eighth Shakey’s V-League at The Arena in San Juan City Thursday, taking on two teams brimming with confidence and raring to prove their worth as title
contenders.

The Lady Eagles, chasing the elusive crown in the league sponsored by Shakey’s Pizza, take on the National U Bulldogs at 4 p.m., hoping to regain their winning ways after dropping a straight-set setback to the Adamson Falcons last Sunday.

The AdU win fueled the San Marcelino-based squad’s fightback to claim the last semis slot as the Falcons subdued the Lyceum Pirates, 20-25, 25-15, 25-18, 25-18, in their knockout match last Tuesday.

Adamson, however, will be hard-pressed to sustain its charge as it faces off a well-reinforced University of St. Salle-Bacolod side in the 2 p.m. game kicking off a pair of best-of-three playoffs among the league’s leading and rising teams.

Games can be viewed on live streaming on www.v-league.ph.

USLS, which topped its group in the elims and the quarters, further shored up its already talented roster by tapping UST star Aiza Maizo, who will take over the slot of libero Rebbie Delontindo, who had to do scouting for the USLS junior team in the Palarong Pambansa.

“We’ll try our best in the Final Four,” said USLS coach Roger Banzuela, whose wards, including top hitter Patty Orendain, Kay Aplasca, April Hingpit, Charmaine Moralde, Gianes Dolar and Royce Quijano, primed up for the semis by beating the FEU Lady Tams, 3-1, last Tuesday.

But the Lady Stingers will be up against an Adamson side that has seemed to regain the form that won it the second conference crown last year with the Falcons out to repeat their 25-23, 25-15, 25-22 victory over the Lady Stingers in the elims on a team led by Nerissa Bautista, Michelle Laborte, Angela Benting, Pau Soriano, Angelica Quinlog, May Macatuno and Lourdes Patilano.

Ateneo, on the other hand, will pin its hopes on Thai ace Kesinee Lithawat, fellow guest player Alyssa Valdez and mainstays Fille Cainglet, Gretchen Ho, Dzi Gervacio, Jamenea Ferrer and liberos Michelle Lazaro and Beatriz Tan against an NU squad spearheaded by guest players Denise Santiago and Cherry Vivas.

Other players to watch for the Lady Bulldogs in the tournament organized by Sports Vision and backed by Accel as official outfitter and Mikasa as official ball are Maricar Nepomuceno, Monique Tiangco, Rialen Sante, Carmina Aganon, Precious Salibad, Rizza Mandapat and libero Jennylyn Reyes.