MINUTES AFTER the Ateneo Blue Spikers made history by securing a Finals berth in the men’s division, the Ateneo Lady Spikers eliminated the Adamson (AdU) Lady Falcons from contention. The Lady Spikers swept AdU in their do-or-die showdown, 26-24, 25-23 and 25-21 at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan.
Ateneo kicked off the opening set with an 8-3 start due to a typical Alyssa Valdez scoring display. Valdez, however, got plenty of support as well-hit spikes from rookie Michelle Morente and savvy front-row hits by Aerieal Patnongon carried Ateneo to a 16-11 advantage by the second technical timeout. Ateneo was able to extend their lead to 18-11 before one of the league’s most explosive scorers, Shiela Pineda, brought Adamson back to life.
Pineda’s relentless attacks kept AdU in the game and brought them to within a point of the Lady Spikers at 21-22. Both teams exchanged block-piercing spikes as the set boiled down to a 24-all deadlock. Adamson, however, collapsed in the end as a service error followed by a Valdez attack propelled Ateneo to draw first blood at 26-24.
AdU adjusted in the second set, keeping in step with the Lady Spikers as the ball game trickled to a 12-all tie due to Amanda Villanueva’s variety of attacks. Ella de Jesus led Ateneo’s response as a multitude of cross-court hits and well-placed tips pushed Ateneo on top, 16-13.
Ateneo managed to extend the lead to 19-14, but an abundance of unforced errors and botched opportunities placed the Katipunan-based squad in a drought. The Lady Falcons were able capitalize on these errors and inch closer at 19-21. Fortunately for Ateneo, team co-captains Valdez and de Jesus delivered under pressure and Adamson’s defensive line were rendered helpless against their attacks. De Jesus would go on to secure the second set at 25-23.
De Jesus kept her momentum going at the start of the third set. She took charge of the pace of the game at the start of the set along with Amy Ahomiro, and led the Lady Spikers to an 18-13 advantage.
With their season on the line, Adamson found a spark of energy from Villanueva and graduating players Mayette Zapanta, May Macatuno and Pineda. The Lady Falcons found a way to tie the set at 19-all in the latter stages of the set. Despite a final push from their veterans, AdU was still unable to contain Valdez’s aggressiveness on the offensive and defensive side. This set up match point for Ateneo and the energetic rookie Morente finished both the set and the match at 25-21 with a cross-court connection.
Valdez finished the game as the team’s highest scorer, tallying 19 points, 14 coming from attacks and three from the service zone. Co-captain de Jesus followed Valdez in the scoring department, notching 12 points of her own.
With the victory, Ateneo advances to the next stage of the step ladder Final Four format and will face second seed National University, who holds a twice-to-beat advantage. The match will take place on Wednesday, February 26, 4 PM at the FilOil Flying V Arena.
