Games on Thursday (The Arena, San Juan)
2 p.m. — St. Benilde vs Ateneo
4 p.m. — SSC vs Lyceum

It’s still too early to determine the probable candidates for the MVP plum, but Cherry May Vivas is already making a big statement.

Vivas, filling up the void left by a former star, continued her solid performance while getting her teammates involved in almost everything as Far Eastern University pummeled College of St. Benilde, 25-17, 25-19, 13-25, 25-18, and claimed the second quarterfinal berth in the sixth Shakey’s V League on Tuesday at The Arena in San Juan City.

The 5-foot-8 Vivas, who averaged 21 points in the team’s last three games, churned out a team-high 17 points, including two crucial hits that kept the surging Lady Blazers at bay in the fourth frame and allowed the Lady Tams to cruise to their second straight quarterfinals stint.

Shaira Gonzales also produced a stellar showing, hitting 16 points highlighted by two blocks while Rose Cabanag added 11 as the Lady Tams stretched their unbeaten run to four that improved their record to 5-1.

With the win, FEU thus joined in the next stage the league-leading University of Santo Tomas which is still unbeaten in five games.

In the second game, guest player Charo Soriano recorded the league’s most number of consecutive services aces as Ateneo bucked a second meltdown to thump Lyceum, 25-22, 22-25, 25-19, 25-21.

Soriano finished with 12 hits, including five straight aces in the fourth frame that helped the Lady Eagles pull away from a tight 5-4 count en route to their second win in four games.