The Ateneo Lady Spikers sailed through their match against the Adamson Lady Falcons in three sets, 25-21, 25-12 and 25-22 last Saturday at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

Adamson’s Shiela Pineda validated her status as one of the top scorers in the league as she led her Lady Falcons to an early 8-6 advantage in the first technical time out of the initial set. With players such as Mayette Zapanta remaining aggressive on the offensive end for Adamson, the Lady Falcons tallied 16 total attacks in the first set. Unfortunately for them, the Ateneo Lady Spikers managed to remain composed inm their receptions and blocks.

With the Amy Ahomiro-Alyssa Valdez tandem providing some offense for the Lady Spikers and the team’s defense proving to be steady, the Katipunan-based squad easily managed the offensive outburst of Pineda and Zapanta and secured the first set, 25-21.

The second set displayed Ateneo’s all-around effort as things started off with a 4-1 advantage in favor of the Lady Eagles. Offensive setups were connecting well care of the ball distribution by rookie Julia Morado. Valdez, Ahomiro and Marge Tejada benefited the most from these setups as Ateneo cruised through an easy second set, prevailing 25-12.

Despite the huge margin in the second set, Valdez was playing gingerly on the court due to an awkward landing in the earlier set. This, however, did not affect her one bit in terms of effectiveness. Valdez would carry the Lady Spikers to an early 14-9 lead in the match’s third and final set.

With Valdez’s combination of block-piercing spikes and well-placed tips, the Lady Spikers were on pace to easily knock off the Lady Falcons. Adamson would not accept defeat so easily though as they quickly flipped the script in the third set. The Lady Falcons delivered on a 7-1 scoring run to seize the game’s momentum and even captured the lead at 16-15 by the second technical timeout of the third set.

Unfortunately for the Lady Falcons, Ateneo would remain consistent on the scoring end. Dennise Lazaro was vital for the Lady Spikers down the stretch. The veteran libero hustled to keep the ball alive on numerous occasions which opened up opportunities for easy points.

With Lazaro digging deep for the balls, followed up by Morado’s precision on her sets, the rest of the Spikers were left with the job of powering through Adamson’s blockers. Ella De Jesus capitalized on her teammates’ efforts, helping the Lady Spikers finish off their opponent, 25-22, with her combination of sheer explosiveness and finesse.

With the victory, the Ateneo Lady Spikers now sport a 2-1 win-loss record. The ladies in Blue and White will try to extend their winning streak to three games when they square off against the University of the East Red Warriors on Wednesday, December 18, 2PM at the FilOil Flying V Arena