Bacoor took care of business against San Juan, 25-8, 23-25, 25-21, 25-19, clinching the No. 2 seed and the last twice-to-beat semifinal advantage in the 2024 Maharlika Pilipinas Volleyball Association on Monday night at the Bacoor Strike Gym in Cavite.
The Strikers closed their campaign at 12-4, seizing the coveted spot from Biñan Tatak Gel, which finished 11-5, as the grueling two-round eliminations wrapped up in the MPVA, a league founded by former senator and MPBL chairman Manny Pacquiao.
Cyrille Alemeniana powered Bacoor with a stellar 26-point performance, tallying 24 hits and two aces, as the team recorded its fourth straight win, propelling them from fourth place midway through the tournament to secure the No. 2 seed.
Jemalyn Menor added 17 points, while Camille Bustamante and Winnie Bedana contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Despite a close second-set loss, Bacoor regained control to take the next two sets, sealing the win in just 89 minutes.
Bacoor, the champion of the inaugural edition, will now face No. 3 seed Biñan in the semifinals.
Top-seed Quezon (14-2) will meet fourth-place Rizal St. Gerrard Charity Foundation (10-5) in the other semifinal matchup.
Both Quezon and Bacoor hold the twice-to-beat advantage and need only one win to reach the championship round of the nine-team MPVA, which is supported by Extreme One-Stop Shop Appliances, ASICS, Mikasa, and Gerflor, with broadcast partners MPTV and Outcomm.
Alyanna Ong led San Juan with a 6-10 record, placing them in sixth overall.
In other matches, ICC Negros and AM Caloocan, both eliminated from semifinal contention, secured graceful exits with wins over Quezon and Rizal, respectively.
Andrea Caparal fired 17 points in Negros’ 25-22, 25-22, 25-12 win against Quezon, while Caloocan edged Rizal, 25-22, 25-21, 22-25, 28-26, led by Iari Yongco-Quimson’s impressive 27 points.
Caloocan (8-7) secured fifth place with one remaining game against winless Marikina, while Negros (5-11) finished in seventh place in the MPVA, which is organized by the Volleyball Masters of the Philippines.
Shekaina Lleses led Quezon with 13 points, while Joan Doguna scored 16 for Rizal in these non-bearing matches.
