Mark Anthony Monleon

The University of Cebu (UC) Lady Webmasters denied the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) Lady Panthers’ comeback bid to secure their first win in the V-League Visayas Women’s Division preliminaries, held at the USPF Lahug Gymnasium on July 13.

Photo Courtesy of Lakandiwa Sports.

After dropping a tightly contested third set, the Lady Webmasters held off a late push from the Lady Panthers in the fourth to claim a 25–16, 25–21, 24–26, 25–23 victory.

Team captain Leady Rule delivered an attacking masterclass, finishing with a game-high 21 points—all off spikes—while setter Mary Duran anchored the offense with 32 excellent sets.

Meanwhile, top-seeded squads University of San Jose–Recoletos (USJ-R) Lady Jaguars and University of San Carlos (USC) Lady Warriors asserted their dominance in their respective matchups to stay unbeaten.

The USJ-R Lady Jaguars cruised past the Cebu Institute of Technology–University (CIT-U) Lady Wildcats in straight sets, 25–19, 25–15, 25–14, to notch their third consecutive win of the tournament. Hitters Julliene Gadingan and Rachel Tecson each tallied nine points to help solidify their team’s position atop the standings.

Fresh off a 3–1 win over UC, the USC Lady Warriors continued their winning ways with a decisive 25–17, 25–12, 25–18 sweep of the University of the Philippines Cebu (UPC) Fighting Maroons, improving to a 2–0 record. 

Angel Galinato earned Player of the Game honors with nine points, including a team-high three aces.

Day 4 of the preliminaries is set for July 19 at the USC Main Campus.