By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
After almost a month of non-stop volleyball action, the JB Amateur Volleyball Association (JB AVA) Iloilo Inter-Office league semifinals are finally ready to take place this coming weekend.
A counterpart of founder and commissioner Jayphet Balbacal’s JB Amateur Basketball League (JB ABL), the JB AVA tournament will feature the eight remaining teams in the men’s and women’s categories.
For the men’s division, the dominant Police Regional Office (PRO) VI took the no. 1 spot after ending the elimination phase with an undefeated record of 5-0.
PRO VI will be going up against the fourth-seeded Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PHIC) and will be enjoying a twice-to-beat advantage.
Meanwhile, in the other bracket of the men’s semifinals, the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) just set up a highly-anticipated matchup against the Iloilo City Hall.
Team NIA ended the regular season with an impressive 4-1 win-loss record and absorbed their only loss against the PRO VI in a tightly-contested duel.
For the women’s division, the top-seeded NIA squad will be going up against team PHIC while the PRO VI spikers will be testing the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology team in the other semis bracket.
Team NIA is also gunning to extend its undefeated season after going 3-0 in the regular season, the only team without a loss aside from the PRO VI men’s squad.
Notable players to watch this coming semifinal are Dhon Dela Rosa, Rosalyn Dusaran, Airra Chavez, Darry Celeste, and Johnny Caluyo.
“Kabay pa nga successful ang aton first-ever JB AVA Inter-Office semifinals. We are praying nga wala sang player ang ma injured, tanan safe, and camaraderie and sportsmanship will always come first. To all participants, God bless you all and thank you for gracing our first season,” said commissioner Balbacal in an exclusive interview with the Daily Guardian.
