Rizal St. Gerrard Charity Foundation secured a semifinal berth, while AM Caloocan Air Force ended their campaign with a victory over separate opponents in the 2024 Maharlika Pilipinas Volleyball Association eliminations on Wednesday night at Bacoor Strike Gym in Cavite.
Rizal swept Valenzuela Classy, 25-23, 25-14, 25-12, advancing to the next round on a high note.
Caloocan, meanwhile, dominated winless WCC Marikina with a decisive 25-5, 25-7, 25-7 victory.
Rizal’s balanced scoring was led by Joann De Guzman with 10 points, helping the team finish in fourth place with an 11-5 record.
Although they matched the 11-5 slate of the No. 3 seed Biñan Tatak Gel 1-Pacman Partylist (35 points), Rizal placed lower with 30 points based on sets won and lost, entering the MPVA Final Four founded by former Senator and MPBL chairman Manny Pacquiao.
Standing in Rizal’s way is the top-seeded Quezon Tangerines, who topped the two-round eliminations with a 12-2 record and earned a twice-to-beat advantage.
Bacoor, the No. 2 seed with a 12-4 record and reigning champions of the inaugural MPVA edition, also enjoys a twice-to-beat advantage and will face Biñan in the semifinals.
These highly anticipated matchups are set to begin on Monday at Bacoor Strike Gym.
In other action, Rhea Manalo scored nine points to lead Caloocan in a balanced offensive effort, securing a 9-7 finish and fifth place in the league.
The MPVA, supported by Extreme One-Stop Shop Appliances, ASICS, Mikasa, and Gerflor with MPTV and Outcomm as broadcast partners, saw Valenzuela’s Lilet Mabbayad add seven points, while Brigitte Martinez scored five for Marikina, who finished with 4-12 and 0-16 records, respectively, in eighth and ninth place.
San Juan (6-10) finished sixth, followed by ICC Negros (5-11) in seventh, concluding the MPVA’s first home-and-away season, organized by the Volleyball Masters of the Philippines.
