Bacoor, Biñan hot on MPVA semifinal berths

Bacoor and Biñan Tatak Gel shoot for the last two semifinal spots when they face separate rivals in the 2024 Maharlika Pilipinas Volleyball Association (MPVA) on Tuesday at the Alonte Sports Arena in Laguna.

The Strikers (9-2) seek to complete the mission at 2 p.m. against the pacesetting and Final Four-bound Quezon (12-1) while the Volley Angels (9-5) look to achieve the same feat at home in the main game at 4 p.m. against AM Caloocan (5-6).

Quezon, which is already assured of a twice-to-beat edge, and Rizal St. Gerrard Charity Foundation (10-4) are the first teams to clinch semifinal seats by reaching 10 victories with the fifth-running San Juan (6-7) already sporting seven losses in the two-round, 16-game preliminaries.

With that, Bacoor and Biñan are in perfect positions to enter the semis while keeping their hopes alive for the other twice-to-beat incentive in this women’s volleyball event founded by former Senator Manny Pacquiao.

Aside from having the home court advantage, the Volley Angels — who handed Quezon’s lone loss so far — will bank on a three-game winning streak to reassert its mastery of Caloocan following an easy four-set win in the first round.

Included in that spree were back-to-back wins at home against Valenzuela and Negros last week before serving as host once again against the determined Air Force Spikers.

Bacoor is also out to ride on the crest of its own three-game run but it would be tall order against the in-form Quezon squad wanting no let-up to secure the No. 1 seed in the MPVA backed by Extreme One-Stop Shop Appliances, ASICS, Mikasa and Gerflor with MPTV and Outcomm as broadcast partners.

Since absorbing their first and lone defeat so far against the Volley Angels last month, the Tangerines strung three straight wins, too, highlighted by a sweep of the second-running Rizal last week in Laguna.

Only the top four from the nine squads will barge into the next stage after a double-round robin format for a total of 16 games with the top earning win-once bonuses.

It’s a knockout duel for the bronze medal while the finale will be a best-of-three format under a home-and-away format for the first-ever title of the MPVA organized by the Volleyball Masters of the Philippines.