Coming off a thrilling five-set loss to UST, the Lady Spikers looked to move on to the next games, stockpiling as many wins as they can. The first win for the season came not too long though, against a defensively hapless National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs squad, 3-1, on Wednesday, December 1 at the Filoil Arena.
As NU’s defensive woes continued to be unsolved, the Lady Spikers breezed through the first set, stumping the NU squad with a 14-0 run—NU’s first point came off an Ateneo error.
NU picked it up late, scoring in bursts, but Ateneo’s Fille Cainglet’s stellar play pulled Ateneo through, 25-17.
The second set was worse for the Bulldogs. Coach Roger Gorayeb’s starters provided Ateneo with solid play and enough leverage to put in former UST high school standout Aerieal Patnongon, the seldom-used Aillysse Nacachi, and Australian rookie Amy Ahomiro late in the second set. Ateneo gained control of the game, grabbing the second set, 25-16.
In the third set, Gorayeb opted to start his bench, subbing in second-year player Natasha Faustino for team captain Jamenea Ferrer. Although Faustino did not disappoint, the Lady Bulldogs picked up pace as Kai Nepomuceno’s defensive plays injected NU with much needed energy.
By the time the Ateneo coach subbed in his starters to regain control, NU had picked up a steady offense, as Mervic Mangui and Lucelle Bayron all made solid offensive plays for the Lady Bulldogs. NU narrowly escaped an Ateneo surge as Nepomuceno’s spike gave NU their first winning set, 25-22.
Finding themselves in a similar situation as the Blue Spikers (who succumbed to the Bulldogs after winning two straight sets), Coach Gorayeb brought back his starting six to ensure that they regain control, albeit with a minor adjustment: rookie Ella de Jesus started in place of third-year player Angeline Gervacio.
With Ateneo scrambling offensively, NU led early in the set. However, Gretchen Ho and Bea Pascual shored it up defensively for the Lady Spikers, denying most of Mangui and Bayron’s spikes.
Momentum shifted Ateneo’s way when the scores reached the twenties. Up 23-21, NU pushed the Lady Spikers to 24-23. Two straight possessions and two straight scores by Ella de Jesus—shrewdly nicknamed ‘The Ella-vator’—capped off the set, 26-24, giving the Lady Spikers their first win of the season.
Rookie Ella de Jesus led the way for Ateneo, scoring 18 points, 17 off spikes. Second in the scoring department was Fille Cainglet with 15, off 12 spikes. For NU, Mervic Mangui scored the brunt of the points in a losing effort, scoring 16, all off spikes, followed by Lucelle Bayron with 12.
Sets: 25-17, 25-16, 22-25, 26-24
