SWU lady spikers bag third straight crown

The Southwestern University (SWU) Lady Cobras completed their mission of achieving a rare grandslam after they swept the University of San Carlos (USC) Lady Warriors in the championship game in the seniors division of the 2011 Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. volleyball tournament at the Aznar Coliseum.

Showing sheer grit and determination in the face of injuries, the Cobras captured a third straight crown with a 25-22, 25-23, 25-8 win over the Lady Warriors at their homecourt.

Danika Gendrauli and the game’s MVP, Princess Pido, were both coming off injuries with the former suffering from fever and the latter just getting discharged from the hospital the other day.

Still, the Lady Cobras made no excuses and marched on to the title, which greatly pleased team manager and SWU athletic director Ryan Aznar.

“I can now rest comfortably. The players’ fighting heat and grittiness enabled them to get this victory. Clearly, they were not playing at full strength but they still made it happen,” said Aznar.

The Lady Cobras are now setting their eyes on the prize in the 2011 University Games, which will be held in Capiz, and the Shakey’s V-League, of which they are expecting an invitation. They are also raring to defend their title in the Cesafi beach volleyball tournament slated for Oct. 4 and 5 at the White Sands Resort in Mactan.

USC’s men’s team salvaged the night as they won the men’s title with a 25-23, 26-24, 25-18 win over the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) in their championship game.