THE ATENEO Lady Spikers survived their latest challenge, a thrilling five-set match against the University of Santo Tomas (UST), yesterday, January 8, at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan.
For the second time around, the Lady Spikers had to make do without Coach Anusorn “Tai” Bundit in the sidelines. Coach Parley Tupaz stepped in for the Thai coach and successfully led the girls to a five-set victory, 15-25, 25-23, 22-25, 25-20 and 15-13.
Unforced errors, including service and reception, hindered the Lady Spikers from taking the lead in the first set. The opponent was given an early four-point advantage after two consecutive service errors and outside hits were committed by Ateneo. The UST lead further extended as spikes from Amy Ahomiro and Ella de Jesus were denied by the blockers.
Ateneo was in a scoring drought early on before a sharp spike by Alyssa Valdez ended it at 10-19, shifting momentum back to the Lady Spikers. A service ace from Julia Morado and an error called on UST trimmed down the lead. The team, however, could not limit its unforced errors, giving UST the first set, 25-15.
The Lady Spikers adjusted their game in the second set and avoided the errors that cost them the first round. Although UST had the lead in the initial stages, spikes from Valdez and rookie Michelle Morente tied the game at 15. Errors in service and attacks, however, gave the opponent a three-point lead at 19-22. Strong hits from Valdez kept Ateneo in the game and eventually gave them the lead at 24-23. A block from Marge Tejada ended the set at 25-23, tying the duel at 1 set apiece.
The third set featured sharper attacks from UST, as both Ria Meneses and Pamela Lastimosa stepped up and produced smart hits that the Lady Spikers did not anticipate. Spikes from Bea Tan, Morente and Tejada gave Ateneo a comfortable lead during the early parts of the set; however, when the score was tied at 16, the standouts from España managed to seize control, until they secured the set at 25-22 in favor of UST.
In the fourth set, Ateneo became more aggressive with their attacks as setter Julia Morado utilized most of the spikers on the team. Powerful attacks from Morente, Ahomiro, Valdez and De Jesus, as well as blocks from Ana Gopico, allowed the squad to maintain a 7-point lead throughout the set.
Unfortunately for the Katipunan-based spikers, Gopico injured her knee towards the end of the set, which hindered her from returning to the game. The set then ended with a strong hit from Valdez at 25-20 to force a winner-take-all fifth set.
The final set featured a head-to-head match between the two teams. Both sides focused on strong attacks, as both gained points from powerful hits. Arielle Patnongon, who took the place of Gopico, was a steady presence for Ateneo’s defense while Valdez took charge of the team’s offense.
Two consecutive frontline hits from Tejada gave Ateneo a comfortable lead that continued until the end of the match. An Ahomiro spike ultimately ended the set at 15-13, giving Ateneo the hard-fought victory.
After managing to withstand UST, the Lady Spikers now hold a 5-1 win-loss record. The squad will face off against defending champions De La Salle University, the only undefeated team left in the tournament, on Sunday, January 12, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
