Commemorating the feast day of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the Ateneo Lady Spikers opened the second edition of the Shakey’s V-League with a three-set win against the Maynilad Water Dragons on July 31, at The Arena, in San Juan.

Coming from a championship victory over Adamson in the first edition of the tournament, the Lady Spikers were determined to start the season on a high note. Facing a powerhouse team in Maynilad—one of the non-school teams competing in the tournament—the Lady Spikers brought their veteran attributes and unbreakable chemistry to the court.

Ateneo started the game with balanced and powerful attacks from team captain Fille Cainglet, pumping up the crowd with her thunderous spikes. Consistent sets and lobs, enabled the Loyola squad to capitalize early through Cainglet’s aggressiveness. Along with Aerieal Potongon’s effective blocking, and Alyssa Valdez’s athleticism, the Lady Spikers edged out the first set, 25-23.

Early in the second set, Valdez displayed her consistency, sparking a 5-0 Ateneo run that caused Maynilad to burn a timeout.

Maynilad however were never able to regroup as they led throughout the set. Smart plays from Jamenea Fererr and Cainglet easily disrupted Maynilad’s offense—their lack of communication and large amount of unforced errors proving to be costly. Ateneo capped things off with Angeline Gervacio’s pinpoint serves ending the second set, 25-19.

Despite an all-around effort by Maynilad’s Joy Cases, their offense continued to struggle due to miscommunicatio—evident in their positional fault halfway through third set. Ateneo took advantage of their bewildered opponents as Valdez shined once more and finished off the Water Dragons with a few more of her roaring spikes. Ateneo took the third set and the match, 25-22.

With the win, the Lady Spikers are on track to take another championship.

Set Scores: 25-23, 25-19, 25-23