THE girls of Southwestern University (SWU) and the ladies of the University of Southern Philippines-Foundation (USP-F) started their semifinal round campaigns on an explosive note Tuesday night after nipping their respective opponents at the start of the semifinal round of the 2013 Cesafi volleyball tournament at the Aznar Coliseum.
In the high school division, SWU never gave up even when the odds were stacked against them and their resiliency paid off as they scrapped past the defending champions University of San Jose-Recoletos in a three-set thriller, 28-30, 25-21, 26-24.
Making the feat even more impressive was the fact that SWU had to fend off four straight match points by USJ-R which led, 24-20, before melting down in the homestretch. The win is a crucial one for SWU as the top two teams at the end of this round-robin semis will advance to the championship game.
In the college division, USP-F outlasted USJ-R in the second pulse-pounding contest of the evening. The two squads were evenly matched as they split the first four sets, 23-25, 25-17, 18-25, 26-24. Pushed to the limit, USP-F responded with aplomb and came away with a 20-18 win in the deciding fifth set to claim the hard-fought victory. /Correspondent Jonas Panerio