THE ATENEO Lady Spikers defied the odds once again, forcing a winner-take-all match against three-time defending champions De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Archers with a thrilling five-set victory in Game Three of the women’s volleyball Finals. The match, which was held at the Mall of Asia Area in Pasay, saw the Ateneo survive DLSU’s comeback rally and secure the win with a score of 25-21, 25-23, 18-25, 16-25 and 17-15.
Ateneo started the game well with Alyssa Valdez constantly piercing through DLSU’s line of blockers. The Lady Archers, however, remained relentless and a patented Aby Marano spike put DLSU ahead, 8-7, by the first technical timeout of the match.
DLSU would remain at the driver’s seat by the second technical timeout, holding a bigger four-point advantage at 16-12 care of consecutive outside attacks by Valdez. Fortunately for the Ateneo Lady Spikers, their hustle on the court, led by their libero, Dennise Lazaro, kept them within striking distance.
The energetic rookie, Michelle Morente, stepped up in the late stages of the opening set. Morente lined up two consecutive attacks that ricocheted through the blockers to give the Ateneo some cushion at 21-19. The Katipunan-based squad would go on to secure the first set at 25-21, winning the opening set for the first time in the championship series.
Come the second set, DLSU would again let a four-point lead slip away as their early 9-5 advantage was easily erased. Team co-captains Ella de Jesus and Valdez then rose to the occasion for the Blue and White as they were able to lead their squad to a slim but crucial 17-16 lead in the late stages of the set.
Coach Tai Bundit’s troops were then able to mirror the events of the opening set with the Lady Archers’ surprisingly committing unforced errors. A front-row finish by Amy Ahomiro gave the Lady Spikers the 25-23 differential and a commanding 2-0 set advantage.
Despite the way the match was going, three-time defending champions DLSU answered back as expected. The next two sets displayed an absolute Ara Galang offensive explosion as the variety of her attacks startled the Ateneo’s defense. From down-the-line winners to savvy off-speed shots, the open spiker was relentless for the Taft-based squad.
Coupled with the aggressiveness of her teammates, Cyd Demecillo and Mika Reyes, Galang’s offensive outburst led her team’s comeback effort and DLSU would go on to notch two straight sets, 25-18 and 25-16, to get back into the match and force a fifth and final set.
Galang remained on fire for DLSU in the deciding set, pushing her team to a precious four-point pad at 12-8. And just when DLSU seemed to be inching closer to clinching their fourth consecutive title, the Ateneo found some life from Ahomiro.
The veteran refused to let the game and series slip away, executing a series of front-row winners and tallying three straight points to propel the Ateneo back into the match.
The score eventually boiled down to a 14-all deadlock before a double block from Reyes and Galang on Marge Tejada positioned DLSU at championship point, 15-14. Fortunately for the Blue and White, the scoring duo of Valdez and Morente quickly retaliated, garnering two straight points off of powerful spikes and turning the tables to put the Ateneo at match point 16-15.
The succeeding play ended with referee Bob Malenab calling a double-touch infraction on DLSU setter Kim Fajardo, giving the Ateneo both the set, 17-15, and the match.
Despite Galang’s game-high 28 points, the Ateneo’s well-balanced scoring load was able to dampen DLSU’s dominant scorer. This can be attributed to the Ateneo’s setter, Julia Morado, who notched 48 excellent sets.
She continuously fed the ball to her spikers which was evident as Valdez, Morente and Ahomiro recorded 22, 18 and 18 points respectively.
Entering the final game of the championship series, Valdez shared that it’s all a matter of self-belief for her and her squad. “We need to believe in ourselves. Nag-stastart naman talaga yan sa sarili. Kung wala ka rin confidence, lagi kang mag-ooverthink at mawawala ka sa focus. (It really starts with yourself. If you don’t have the confidence, you’ll always overthink and be out of focus.)”
Former Ateneo standout and current member of the coaching staff, Charo Soriano offered words of encouragement for the Lady Spikers, “For me you are already winners. Whatever will happen on Saturday is God’s will.”
She continued in a mix of Filipino and English by assuring how she sees how much the team is enjoying their run and should play with the utmost confidence. “Heart as strong as ever, one big fight, win or lose, [we are all blue blooded] and enjoy the game. Whatever happens, it’s God’s will. Just believe in ourselves and believe in the team.”
The final match of the 76th season of the championship series between the collegiate rivals is set to take place on Saturday, March 15, 4PM at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
