The last time Ateneo and La Salle clashed head on, the girls in green mercilessly took out the Lady Spikers in three straight sets. Since then, Ateneo has lost six consecutive sets―the last three to Adamson―leaving the Lady Spikers grounded at fourth, with no momentum heading into the final four.

True enough, the odds were against the Lady Spikers. DLSU came into the game with a stellar 13-1 record and a sea of green shirts in the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan. Nevertheless, the Katipunan-based squad would be only the second team to have pitted themselves against La Salle in five sets.

The Lady Spikers would eventually bow out of contention, 24-26, 25-21, 17-25, 28-26, 10-15.

Despite the loss, it was an afternoon packed with displays of the famous Atenean never-say-die attitude. Come game time, the ladies in blue played with high energy and a renewed strategy, a far cry from their performance in the last two games. La Salle gained the lead early on, but Ateneo’s composed defensive play would always catch up.

Fille Cainglet, usually Ateneo’s top scorer, acted as decoy as Angeline Gervacio’s spikes would score the lot for Ateneo. Lady Archer Michelle Gumabao left much to be desired defensively and was asked to sit out early, prompting Taft mentor Ramil de Jesus to play Gohing. Ateneo would catch up, but La Salle would seal it with a 26-24 first set victory.

The Blue team would shift gears in the second set, as rookie libero Denn Lazaro was subbed with either Bea Pascual or Gretchen Ho to shake things up defensively. Ateneo Coach Roger Gorayeb’s defensive strategy worked well for the Lady Spikers, who managed to stop a possible offensive flurry from La Salle’s hitters, Abigail Maraño, Stephanie Mercado and Jacq Alarca. Cainglet and Lazaro were able to receive digs with efficiency, and Gumabao could not prevent herself from committing errors, as Ateneo cruised to a 25-21 second set victory.

La Salle would eventually win the third set, with Gohing and Gumabao both playing in the court. Gervacio and Pascual also needed to catch some air, and both were benched. Lazaro and fellow rookie Ella de Jesus filled in for both veterans. Rookie mistakes from Lazaro would botch possible defensive stops for Ateneo, and La Salle took advantage to seal the third, 25-17.

The Lady Spikers played for their lives in the fourth set. Lazaro came in for defensive possessions as Coach Gorayeb opted to play his veterans, inserting Pascual or Ho whenever the rookie committed a mistake. The lead swung both ways, until Ateneo built a five point margin, emphatically capped with a block from Pascual which drew the ire of the La Salle crowd. The lead would diminish, and the set had three crucial deadlocks, with both teams exchanging points until Ateneo led at 27-26.

Each possession was wrought with tension as both teams played with composure, while the crowd was on their heels cheering for their teams. The set came to an explosive close when Gervacio spiked the ball through an open spot, giving Ateneo one more fighting chance, 28-26.

Pascual, playing her last game as a Lady Spiker, elected to stay and play the fifth set. Ateneo would lead, but only within the first few possessions, where they led 3-2. After a scoring burst which heightened at 7-3, La Salle would lead the rest of the way, en route to a 15-10 final score.

Mercado scored the most points for La Salle with 19, followed by Maraño and Alarca with 14 apiece. Gohing and Charleen Cruz would lead La Salle in digs, both with 11.

On the flipside, Gervacio led the way for Ateneo with 19 points, 17 off spikes. Cainglet followed with 18 of her own. Lazaro meanwhile, manned the defensive bases for Ateneo, totalling 24 digs, followed by Cainglet with 21. Setter Jem Ferrer had 63 sets, while Mikaela Esperanza of DLSU had only 49.

SET SCORES: 26-24, 21-25, 25-17, 26-28, 15-10