Semis berth at stake in Perpetual-Lyceum clash

UNIVERSITY of Perpetual Help System Dalta and Lyceum of the Philippines University collide with a semis berth on the line in the NCAA women’s volleyball tournament today, March 17, at the San Andres Sports Complex in Manila.

While the Lady Altas are eyeing for a return trip to the Final Four after missing the bus last year, the Lady Pirates are gunning for their first ever semifinals appearance since joining the league in 2011.

The winner of the 12 p.m. match will also have a bigger chance of getting a first-round bye as the No. 2 team in the stepladder phase in case College of Saint Benilde jumps straight to the Finals via a nine-match sweep of the eliminations.

The Lady Blazers hold a perfect 8-0 record and can advance to the best-of-three championship series outright with a victory over Jose Rizal University on Sunday.

In the stepladder format, the third and fourth-ranked teams will play in a do-or-die match with the winner facing the second-ranked squad in another knockout duel.

Perpetual Help sits at second place with a 6-1 slate, just half a game ahead of Lyceum, which has a 6-2 mark.