By CYRUS M. GARDE
STA. CRUZ, Laguna — Western Visayas volleyball teams hurdled their respective quarterfinal matches yesterday and were already assured of bronze medals in their semifinal matches today in the 2014 Palarong Pambansa at the Laguna Sports Complex Multipurpose Hall in Brgy. Bubukal here.
Except for secondary boys’ volleyball team, the elementary boys and girls teams and secondary girls swept their respective matches from elimination to the quarterfinals.
The secondary boys from Iloilo with three reinforcements from Negros Occidental had to exert extra effort after losing their first match against Ilocos Region, 25-11, 17-25 and 25-27.
They bounced back and defeated Soccksargen (Region 12), 25-21 and 25-19, then beat Mimaropa, 25-14 and 25-16.
In the quarterfinals, they turned down the chances of Cordillera Administrative Region, 25-16 and 25-19, to face National Capital Region in the semifinal, while host Calabarzon will be up against Central Visayas at 9 a.m. today.
Host Region 4-A is the defending champion in secondary boys’ volleyball, while National Capital Region and Central Visayas were first and second runners-up, respectively.
The other Western Visayas teams had easy assignments in the elimination and quarterfinals.
The last year’s 3rd runner-up elementary boys also showed signs of their ability to beat host Calabarzon, 25-17 and 25-14, and face defending champion Ilocos Region, which defeated National Capital Region, 25-21, 22-25 and 31-29, in the semifinal.
The other semifinal match will be between Central Luzon and Central Visayas.
The elementary girls defending champion, Western Visayas, demolished all its opponents. It defeated Northern Mindanao (Region 10), 25-19 and 25-18, to advance to the semifinal against host Calabarzon today.
National Capital Region and Central Visayas will square off in another elementary girls’ semifinal match.
The sixth placer Western Visayas in secondary girls’ is trying to make it this year, reaching the quarterfinal in a sweep. It beat host region Calabarzon, 25-9 and 25-11, to arrange a semifinal match today against Central Luzon. Central Luzon defeated last year’s 1st runner-up Central Visayas, 25-16 and 25-22.
In the other secondary girls’ semi-final match, defending champion National Capital Region, which beat Northern Mindanao, 25-6 and 25-9, will face Davao Region after the latter won against Eastern Visayas, 25-23 and 25-14.
SOFTBALL
Defending champion Western Visayas also advanced to the semifinal today against Central Visayas in secondary girl division.
The many times Palarong Pambansa champion hurdled its quarterfinal match against Central Luzon, 4-0.
Central Visayas, last year’s second runner-up, also defeated Soccksargen, 5-4. First runner-up National Capital Region also defeated Northern Mindanao, 6-1, and will face Calabarzon in the semifinal today after they beat Ilocos Region, 7-0.
In the elementary division, last year’s 6th placer Western Visayas swept its elimination assignments and beat Cagayan Valley, 10-1.
Region 6 will face host Calabarzon in the semifinal, while NCR will be against Northern Mindanao in the other match./PN
