Photo by Joseph S. Angan

On the final day of the UAAP Season 74 Beach Volleyball tournament, the Ateneo Lady Beach Spikers looked eager to bounce back from a Game 1 loss in their best-of-three finals series against the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Tigresses on September 18 at the University of the East – Caloocan sand courts.

Facing elimination, Ateneo now had to beat UST in consecutive games in order to bag the elusive championship trophy. With Bea Tan and Alyssa Valdez once again leading the way, Ateneo proved to be a tall order for UST’s experienced tandem of Maruja Banaticla and this season’s MVP, Judy Ann Caballejo.

The Lady Beach Spikers started Game 2 of the series trailing early, 1-5, due to an abundance of unforced errors. Ateneo, however, would fight back by slowly trimming the lead point by point and sustaining a steady pace throughout the set.

Despite UST holding a 12-9 lead at the technical timeout, service errors and a flurry of in-game mishaps from the España-based duo provided the Lady Beach Spikers’ enough oil to fuel their aggressive offense. A Valdez spike tied the game at 15-all, forcing UST to call for time.

The Lady Beach Spikers’ excellent offense, complemented with their wall-like blocks, allowed them to groove their way to triple set point, 20-17.  Ateneo grabbed the first set of Game 2, care of Tan’s relentless energy and hustle around the court, 21-19.

The second set kicked off with both squads exchanging leads, owing to excellent ball placement and consistency with their receptions. Valdez, however, continued her hot streak from the first set, sending strong spikes that proved to be too strong for both Tigresses to handle. With Valdez pouring in powerful attacks all around the court, Tan provided patient offense, outsmarting the UST defense with her witty play. With the proper mix of discipline and aggressiveness, the Ateneo pair easily grabbed the second set win, 21-15.

With the Ateneo victory, the Lady Beach Spikers forced a third and final game of the series. Valdez, pumped up and ready for the last game of the season, shared, “We’re gonna push it, keep up the good defense. Puso na lang since it’s the last game of the season.”

A quick 4-1 run by Ateneo started the final first set of the tournament. With the impressive start by Tan and Valdez, the Lady Beach Spikers were on track to win yet another set over the mighty Tigresses. But UST took a page out of Ateneo’s playbook by cutting the lead point by point and the Atenean tandem quickly found themselves back at square one, with the score knotted at 13-all.

Well-executed offense from both sides resulted in numerous exchanges of leads, as the inaugural set boiled down to the wire. UST, however, proved to be the better team, finishing the set on top, 21-19, and stealing the set from Ateneo.

The Lady Beach Spikers looked to bounce back in the second set, as they once again kept the score close and prevented the Tigresses from delivering a blowout. In addition, UST faced a scary moment early in the set as Banaticla started to cramp up. But injuries would not stop this Tigress’ return to the sand court—all wrapped up in bandages and tape, but as dangerous as ever. With a sudden surge of momentum, the Thomasian tandem found enough fire power to take out Ateneo and claim the championship, 21-16 in the second set.

Despite the loss, this season is a learning experience for the young team. “I guess it’s in experience, it’s only our first year on the beach volleyball tournament,” said Valdez. “We’re happy that we reached the finals though.”

When asked about her thoughts on a well-fought season, Tan shared, showing optimism and high hopes for the next season, “This is a lesson learned for us. With only six months of beach volleyball training, compared to the exposure of other teams, things are looking good for the next season.”

The Lady Beach Spikers’ campaign this Season 74 was nothing short of remarkable. Things are looking bright for Ateneo as the garnered experience from this tournament will surely catapult them to higher horizons in the future.