Dasmariñas City pulled the rug from under reigning champion Quezon, 25-22, 25-23, 25-23, to open the 2025 Maharlika Pilipinas Volleyball Association (MPVA) in style over the weekend at the Dasmariñas City Arena.
Cheered on by a roaring homecrowd, the National U-backed Monarchs escaped with the slimmest of margins in each of the set of the close duel with Celine Marsh and Vange Alinsug joining forces.
In the first game, newcomer Pasay City Lady Voyagers hacked out a gritty 25-23, 13-25, 25-17, 23-25, 15-8 win over the Negros ICC Blue Hawks behind Iari Quimson and Florize anne Papa.
Quimson and Papa tallied13 points each while Euricka Eslapor added 12 points. Angel Mae Antipuesto had nine while Jozza Mae Cabalsa and Aiko Urdas contributed eight apiece in Pasay’s balanced attack.
Marsh fired 16 points including five in the clincher while Alinsug had 11 points for Dasma represented by two-time reigning UAAP champion and three-time Shakey’s Super League titlist (SSL) NU in a new era without the multi-awarded duo of Bella Belen and Alyssa Solomon.
Providing coverage for them was Myrtle Escanlar with eight points while Alexa Nichole Mata and Minierva Maaya chipped in six apiece for the NU-powered Monarchs under new mentor Regine Diego.
Diego, a former PVL mentor with the defunct F2 squad, replaced Sherwin Meneses in the offseason with the MPVA, founded by also MPBL chairman Manny Pacquiao, serving as her first hurrah with the Lady Bulldogs.
And the Lady Bulldogs were quick to impress at the expense of the Tangerines, who for their part are being backed by four-peat NCAA champion College of St. Benilde Blazers under seasoned mentor Jerry Yee.
