AFTER WINNING their first four matches, the streaking Ateneo Lady Beach Spikers took their skills to the test once more as they faced the UST Tigresses, on September 7 at the UE Caloocan sand courts.
Featuring a battle between the top two teams in the standings, the match began with much hype. Fittingly, it was a tight bout, with both squads not allowing their opponents to gain momentum, let alone a taste of the lead.
Throughout the match, the Atenean tandem of Bea Tan and Alyssa Valdez rapidly exchanged the lead with UST’s Maruja Banaticla and Judy Ann Caballejo.
After the first set technical timeout, the Lady Beach Spikers found themselves trailing, 11-10. Tan and Valdez fought back and managed to keep the game deadlocked at 15 in the set’s later stages.
However, UST’s offense clicked as they were able to edge ahead, 18-16, which subsequently forced the Lady Beach Spikers to call a timeout. The España-based duo remained consistent down the stretch and was ultimately too much for Ateneo, grabbing the first set, 21-18.
The Tigresses continued their hot play in the second set, as they managed to grab a quick 4-1 lead, with two points care of service aces from Banaticla. Undaunted by UST’s good start, the Lady Beach Spikers showed just how resilient they are, managing to close the scoring gap to a single point at 6-5.
Nevertheless, the Tigresses were able to adjust to Ateneo’s offense, delivering a crucial 5-2 run down the stretch, which in turn gave them an 18-12 lead. Banaticla delivered several more service aces, including one which emphatically finished the match, 21-12. Banaticla, one of the frontrunners for this season’s MVP plum, ended the second set with six service aces.
With their first loss of the championships, Ateneo now shares the top spot at the standings with UST at 4-1. DLSU, Adamson and FEU are within striking distance as well, as they are all tied with a 3-2 record.
Catch the Lady Beach Spikers in their next game as they try to bounce back against FEU this Saturday, 11:30 am once again at UE Caloocan.
