[av_one_full first min_height=” vertical_alignment=” space=” custom_margin=” margin=’0px’ padding=’0px’ border=” border_color=” radius=’0px’ background_color=” src=” background_position=’top left’ background_repeat=’no-repeat’ animation=”]
[av_heading heading=’No ‘sisterly love’ in PBA finals’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
By ADRIAN STEWART CO
[/av_heading]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=’custom’ color=’#0a0a0a’]
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
[/av_textblock]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=’custom’ color=’#0a0a0a’]
EVEN if the 2016-2017 Oppo PBA Philippine Cup best-of-seven finals is set to turn out to be an all-San Miguel Corporation (SMC) battle, San Miguel Beermen head coach Leo Austria said that there will be no sisterly love.
Speaking to the media after the Beermen scored a 96-83 win over TNT Katropa on Monday night, Austria said that the PBA fans will expect a real battle between sister teams Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings and Star Hotshots.
The Kings and the Hotshots are set to dispute for the last finals seat in Game 7 of their own best-of-seven semifinals series as of press time at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
“Never sa mga San Miguel sister teams nagkakaroon ng bigayan. Kung maari mag-bunong-braso or mag-wrestling sila dahil they know na ang pride ang nakataya,” Austria said.
“Usually, pag nagme-meeting kami, kantyawan yan. Everybody wants to win a championship,” added Austria, who is the architect of the Beermen’s two All-Filipino Conference titles.
Austria believes that his wards will still came up with the same determination as their title runs in the 2015 and 2016 as they gun for the Jun Bernardino Trophy, which is given to a team that wins three straight All-Filipino Cup titles.
In 2015, the Beermen defeated the Alaska Aces in grueling seven matches, while last year San Miguel took the hard route after erasing a 3-0 lead by the Aces to claim the All-Filipino title.
“I hope na yung goal namin ay matupad namin (na three-straight Philippine Cup crowns),” Austria said. “But it’s not going to be an easy series especially with the Star Hotshots getting a lot of veterans and ganun din ang Ginebra.”
“Kahit sino sa kanila okay lang. We’re actually glad dahil I think for both us, manalo or matalo, palagay ko panalo pa rin ang San Miguel,” he added. “I hope makuha namin ito dahil the players want to be part of the history of San Miguel.”
***
San Sebastian College Lady Stags’ Grethcel Soltones will try to accomplish what her team failed to do in the indoor volleyball in NCAA Season 92 women’s beach volleyball starting today until Feb. 26 at the Lighthouse Marina in Subic Bay.
Three-time NCAA indoor MVP Soltones will team up with Alyssa Eroa and reserve Daureen Santos to banner the Lady Stags, which will aim for its fourth straight championship.
The Lady Stags clinched its third straight beach volleyball title last year as the team led by Soltones and Eroa defeated the San Beda Lady Red Spikers’ Viray twins Maria Jeziela and Maria Nieza, 14-21, 21-9, 15-6, in last year’s finals.
“Grethcel (Soltones) and Alyssa (Eroa) will play,” said Lady Stags head coach Roger Gorayeb, a multi-titled coach in both indoor and beach. “We will aim for our fourth straight championship.”
The Lady Stags hopes to win in the beach volley tilt to soothe the pain of blowing a thrice-to-beat finals advantage to eventual Season 92 indoor winner Arellano University Lady Chiefs.
“Dito kami babawi sa beach volleyball para kahit papaano mapunan ‘yung nasayang namin sa indoor volleyball,” said Soltones, who will be playing for the last time for the Lady Stags.
The Lady Stags, however, is expected to face some tough opposition again as it battles a vastly improved field headed by the talented Viray twins, who swept their way to finals and came a set away from winning it all before bowing to the Lady Stags./PN
[/av_textblock]
[/av_one_full]
