Pampanga academy leads inter-HS volleyball tilt

September 16, 2019 Community Billboard

BAGUIO CITY – The Holy Family Academy of Angeles (HFAA) City escaped the gritty First Capitol Provincial School (FCPS) of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan in a three-set thriller 25-22, 19-25, 15-13 to take the top spot in bracket B of the 1st Baguio Inter-High School Volleyball Invitational tournament.

The competition brought in 11 high schools from three regions on Friday, September 13, 2019 and will close on Sunday.

California High School in Antipolo (CHSA) and the University of the Cordilleras High School (UCHS) are still up against each other in the top spot for bracket A.

It was a seesaw battle for the Angeles and San Jose del Monte, Bulacan squads, with either team taking a three-point lead in the first two sets.

The Bulacan team took the early lead 5-2 but saw its lead dissipate middle of the first set and Angeles took a three point lead, 14-11, after winning four points and a point down 10-11. Behind by a point, HFAA won the last four points to end the first set.

Down 11-12, FCPS won four straight points to make it an 18-15 in the second set but HFA answered by scoring three points in the ensuing play to equalize at 18-all.

FCPS, also dubbed the “Eagles”, took the driver’s seat at 23-18 and never gave up to set up a winner take all third set. HFA was the more aggressive team in the third set taking an 8-6 lead to the change court. FCPS played quite well at the other side of the court and even taking a 13-12 lead.

But HFA won the next three games to take the game and complete the round-robin eliminations top spot with a perfect 4-0 winloss slate with three of the games won in two sets.

HFA will face the loser of the CHSA–UCHS to battle for Bracket A leadership, and the winner will advance against the winning team.

Host UCHS (Baby Jaguars) has so far been dominant after a jittery opening Friday against University of Luzon-Dagupan.

In Saturday’s match against Pudtol, Apayao, the Baby Jaguars, the team that formerly dominated volleyball in Cordillera was almost perfect in handing the visitor a 25-15, 25-7 beating.

“They are gaining confidence after the jittery start,” Coach Sherry Ann Floresca said of her wards that have dominated the local leagues and was credited to the success of the ABCamp she introduced three years ago.

ABCamp, a volleyball clinic held every month of June since 2016, has developed most of the UCHS players that won them the Akari Volleyball Tournament – Northern Luzon leg last year and a top eight finish in the Palarong Pambansa earlier this year.

“The kids are getting better with every tournament that they join in and this is one of the events that will surely test their mettle,” Floresca said as she spearheaded the organizing of the Inter-High School tournament.

But it will be an acid test against the California side, the former Batang Pinoy national finals champion and winner of the recent Pudtol, Apayao open when they beat the reigning Baguio-Benguet Educational Athletic League (BBEAL) champion Baguio College of Technology (BCT). UCHS placed third in the tournament.

“Kakayanin naman siguro to get into the finals,” she said of their chances in the semifinals where they have already qualified in the Inter-High.

Floresca will depend on the Pudtol, Apayao native Viviene Joy Padayao and team captain Angela Kier Sabas. Padayao had a steal in the University of Luzon game that survived the first-round scare then Sabas took over the Apayao game when Padayao simmered down while playing against her former team.

Pigeon M. Lobien/PNA