Bacoor clinched the final semifinal spot with a commanding 25-14, 25-18, 25-22 victory over eliminated Valenzuela in the 2024 Maharlika Pilipinas Volleyball Association on Sunday night at the Bacoor Strike Gym in Cavite.
Cyrille Alemeniana led the Strikers with 13 points, strengthening their bid for a top-two seed and a twice-to-beat advantage as the Strikers improved to a 10-3 record.
Joining Bacoor in the Final Four are the No. 1 seed Quezon Tangerines (13-1), Rizal St. Gerrard Charity Foundation (10-4), and Biñan Tatak Gel (10-5) in the league founded by former Senator and MPBL chairman Manny Pacquiao.
Jemalyn Menor and Camille Bustamante contributed 10 and nine points, respectively, helping the Strikers quickly bounce back from their previous 18-25, 25-23, 16-25, 18-25 loss to Quezon before the break, which briefly stalled their semifinal push.
Up against the struggling Valenzuela squad, Bacoor capitalized with an aggressive offense and strong defense, securing the win in just over an hour.
Meanwhile, AM Caloocan Air Force’s 25-15, 25-15, 28-26 victory over ICC Negros went to waste, as Bacoor’s tenth win locked them out of semifinal contention.
Iari Yongco-Quimson and Jozza Mae Cabalsa tallied 14 and 12 points, respectively, for Caloocan, which improved to 6-7 but can only reach a maximum of nine wins in the two-round, 16-game MPVA season, supported by Extreme One-Stop Shop Appliances, ASICS, Mikasa, and Gerflor, with MPTV and Outcomm as broadcast partners.
Only the top four teams advance to the semis, with the top two enjoying a twice-to-beat advantage, while the remaining five teams are eliminated in the league organized by the Volleyball Masters of the Philippines.
For the eliminated teams, Abegail Nuval scored 12 points for Valenzuela (2-12), while Andrea Caparal led Negros with 16 points (4-10).
