Despite a thrilling run in the third set, the Lady Spikers succumbed to powerhouse San Sebastian College-Excelroof (SSC) in three-straight sets, 19-25, 17-25, 25-27 in the quarterfinals of the second conference of the Shakey’s V-League at The Arena in San Juan on August 29.
SSC raced to a two-set advantage as Thai import and league leading scorer Jaroensri Bualee’s attacks broke through the Ateneo blockers to score 18 points for the Lady Stags. A number of service and reception errors added to the Lady Siker’s woes, especially during the second set.
For Ateneo, Dzi Gervacio and guest player Alyssa Valdez paced the team, keeping them in stride with the Lady Stags’ run.
A revived Ateneo team then entered the third set with Valdez and Fille Cainglet leading the attack with their powerful spikes, along with the precise drop shots of Jem Ferrer confusing the San Sebastian frontline.
The Lady Spikers’ renewed vigor saw them diving for the ball and making unbelievable saves to sustain long rallies against SSC’s attacks. And with the Ateneo blockers proving to be formidable, the Lady Spikers looked poised to take the third set at 24-23.
But a failed reception by Ateneo after a long rally gave SSC a chance to extend the set point with the score tied at 24-all. This shifted the momentum in favor of the Lady Stags, as the subsequent plays saw Gretchen Ho’s service and Bea Pascual’s dig called long, giving SSC their match point at 25-26.
Bualee then won San Sebastian the match, jumping high for a resounding kill.
Ateneo’s last match for the quarterfinals is against Far Eastern University at the Arena in San Juan, at 4pm on Thursday, September 2.
Author’s notes:
Despite having a 1-3 record in the quarterfinals (3-set losses against front-runners SSC and Adamson University, and an upset loss against Lyceum of the Philippines 2-3; the lone victory against National University 3-1), the Ateneo Lady Spikers are still in the running for a semifinals berth.
An interesting side-note:
The Lady Spikers, who are being coached in this tournament by Assistant Coach Clint Malazo went against Ateneo Head Coach Roger Gorayeb who is coaching the San Sebastian Lady Stags in the Shakey’s V-League.
