The Ateneo Lady Spikers fell short in the championship match of the Shakey’s V-League against the NU Lady Bulldogs in four sets, 25-23, 25-20, 17-25 and 26-24.
It was an all-out Rubie De Leon show in the first set as she managed to score for the Lady Bulldogs with her craftiness on court. Her well-timed blocks and precise drop shots caused a number of problems for Ateneo’s defense.
Despite the valiant effort of Fille Cainglet, Jeng Bualee and Rachel Daquis that brought the set tied at 21-all, Carmina Aganon, Dindin Santiago and Myla Pablo were too much of an offensive force for the Lady Eagles to handle as they dropped the first set at 23-25.
NU carried the momentum into the second set as they rallied to an explosive 5-0 scoring run. Ateneo was able to inch in closer with Bualee’s unswerving attacks and Amy Ahomiro’s consistent service that brought Ateneo within a point at 15-16.
With Bualee carrying the offensive load, the rest of the Lady Spikers contributed in the defensive end as Ateneo managed to grab the 18-17 lead care of the block on Pablo. However, Santiago would prove to be too much for the Lady Eagles as she was connecting in every conceivable angle on the court. Ateneo would fall short in the second set with a five-point deficit at 20-25.
Forced to a must-win situation, the Lady Spikers had the odds against them, as the Lady Bulldogs were ready to cruise to an easy three set sweep. NU remained on target by the first technical timeout as they carried the 8-2 advantage.
Unfortunately for the Lady Bulldogs, Ateneo found a huge spark from the bench in Marge Tejada with her much needed performance on the court. In addition, Jem Ferrer was able to distribute the ball properly to Daquis and Valdez. The Daquis-Valdez tandem finally found their lost rhythm in the third set as they piled up spike after spike.
In the set that started as an NU domination, ended as an Ateneo scoring exhibition as the Lady Eagles forced the fourth set with the 25-17 victory.
Ateneo reached an 8-7 advantage in the first technical timeout of the fourth set. Both squads exchanged points as no team would let the other blow by with an easy win. Ateneo managed a three-point lead at 19-16 only to be answered back by excellent defense by the entire Lady Bulldogs team led by the Santiago sisters to tie matchup at 19-all.
From that point, the Lady Spikers committed three crucial service errors that allowed the Lady Bulldogs to take advantage. Ateneo held a 24-22 set point lead before Rubie De Leon’s veteran court vision and Dindin Santiago’s forcefulness delivered the final blow to the Lady Spikers as NU claimed the championship at 26-24.
Rubie De Leon was named the finals MVP.
