UST, Letran chase 3rd straight wins

One streak will be broken as red-hot University of Santo Tomas (UST) and Letran College collide in a key matchup between two surging teams in the V-League Collegiate Men’s Challenge on Wednesday at Paco Arena in Manila.

After dropping their first two matches, both squads have rebounded with back-to-back victories, setting up an intense 12 noon showdown with a share of third place with idle National University on the line.

The Golden Spikers, last season’s University Athletic Association of the Philippines silver medalists, will rely heavily on the performances of JJ Macam and Gboy de Vega, while the Knights, who secured third place in the previous National Collegiate Athletic Association season, will bank on Vince Himzon and John Bautista to lead their charge.

As both teams look to capitalize on their strengths, they will also be keen to exploit each other’s weaknesses.

“We need to determine our weaknesses and, at the same time, intensify our strength. We also have to identify the weakness of our opponent and how are we going to neutralize them,” UST assistant coach Benjie Mape said.

In the other men’s match at 2 p.m., University of Perpetual Help System Dalta will look to bounce back from a tough five-set loss to UST as the Altas face the winless Emilio Aguinaldo College.

Led by Kobe Tabuga and Jefferson Marapoc, the Altas aim to join the winner of the UST-Letran clash in boosting their playoff aspirations.

The Generals, meanwhile, hope to snap their four-game losing streak, relying on Mark Palatino and Jan Abor.

In the lone women’s encounter, University of the East square off against Lyceum of the Philippines University at 5 p.m.

Both teams have struggled this season with the Lady Warriors, led by KC Cepada and Kayce Balingit, winning their first match but losing the next two.

The Lady Pirates, on the other hand, are still in search of their first victory in four matches and will lean on Joan Doguna and Stacey Lopez in their bid to break into the winning column.