Multiple semis scenarios as UAAP elimination round nears climax
Alta Sports10 days ago ยท 110 views
Photo: UAAP
By Nate Castillo
Two Final Four seats are already occupied, while two more are up for grabs as the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88 women’s volleyball tournament winds down to its last three playdates.
Unbeaten De La Salle University has clinched both the top-seeding and a twice-to-beat advantage in the semifinals with just one more assignment left in the elimination round.
Three-peat-seeking National University, on the other hand, has advanced to a fifth straight playoffs appearance.
Left to fight for the last two tickets to the next round are Adamson University, Far Eastern University, and University of Santo Tomas.
The last three elims gamedays, however, will not only decide the Final Four cast but also how the postseason is going to be played, with multiple possible scenarios.
Photo: UAAP
Final Four or stepladder?
The Lady Spikers have been on a tear, winning their first 13 matches, with only the Lady Bulldogs standing in their way of an outright finals berth – their first since completing the feat in 2014.
La Salle and NU rekindle their rivalry on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
An elims sweep by La Salle will propel the 12-time champion squad directly to a second straight best-of-three finals stint and trigger a stepladder semifinals for the first time since 2022, when the Lady Bulldogs swept their way to the throne.
A loss by the Lady Spikers will result in a regular Final Four format, where they’ll meet the No. 4 seed.
Lady Bulldogs to decide semis format
NU, sporting a 9-3 record in second spot, is the last team to take a crack at spoiling La Salle’s automatic finals entry.
A win by the Lady Bulldogs over the Lady Spikers will not only mean a regular semis format, but will nail them a twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four.
If NU loses to La Salle, there will stepladder semis. The Lady Bulldogs will also need to win their end of elims meeting with University of Santo Tomas on Wednesday to snare a twice-to-beat incentive, in case Adamson (8-5) wins over FEU in its last elims assignment on Saturday.
Back-to-back defeats by NU, coupled with a Lady Falcons win for a tie at 9-5 will force the two teams to a playoff for a semis advantage. The loser will battle the No. 4 seed in the knockout first phase of the stepladder.
Photo: UAAP
Adamson’s golden chance
Carrying an 8-5 record means Adamson only needs to hurdle the Lady Tamaraws to formalize its Final Four entry for the first time in three years.
A win could also open a chance to vie for a semis incentive if misfortune befalls NU.
If the Lady Falcons drop their final elims game, they will still have a chance to snatch a semis seat through a playoff in case of a tie at 8-6.
FEU holds semis fate
FEU (7-5) has full control of its semis fate in its last two games against Adamson on Saturday and also-ran Ateneo de Manila University on Wednesday.
A sweep by the Lady Tamaraws will secure them another playoffs run, whether it’s a Final Four or a stepladder format.
Even if it loses a match, FEU will still have a crack at a semis spot via at least a playoff. Or if fortune favors the squad an outright seat if UST (7-5) suffers defeat in its last two games.
Coming up empty-handed could show the Lady Tamaraws the exit door, unless the Golden Tigresses also dropped all their remaining games for a tie at 7-7, forging a playoff for the No. 4 seed.
Photo: UAAP
Hardest route
UST has its hands full to get back in the semis.
The Tigresses still have to tangle with also-ran yet still dangerous University of the Philippines on Sunday and NU on Wednesday.
A 1-of-2 result will secure UST at least playoff for the last semis seat. Two defeats could eliminate the Espana-based squad from contention.
Tiebreak scenario
In case of a three-way tie at 8-6 between Adamson, FEU and UST, a tiebreaker will be used to rank the three teams.
The team with the superior tiebreak will occupy the No. 3 seed while the two other squads face off in a sudden death to complete the semis cast.
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Ariel Baribada Gonzales
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