AFTER HAVING their 30-game win streak snapped in Game 1, the De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Archers responded in Game 2 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines women’s volleyball finals. DLSU delivered a four-set victory over the Ateneo, 25-14, 25-20, 19-25 and 26-24 on Saturday, March 8, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The match began in favor of the Ateneo with a 3-0 outburst. However, the Lady Archers retaliated quickly with Ara Galang leading the offensive charge care of a series of cross-court and down-the-line winners. Accompanied by Alyssa Valdez’ shaky start of outside attacks, the Lady Archers cruised to an immediate 16-11 advantage by the second technical timeout of the first set.
The Ateneo struggled to find any offense in the opening set as they were constantly denied by the line of DLSU blockers. In addition, the Ateneo’s keen libero, Dennise Lazaro, was forced to stay on the bench due to an awkward roll of her ankle. This disrupted the flow of the Ateneo’s defense due to the lack of a proper first ball, Lazaro’s specialty. This allowed DLSU to control the pace of the game for the majority of the set and cruise to a double-digit win at 25-14.
The second set remained an all-DLSU display as they easily drew a 16-10 advantage. DLSU’s offense was highlighted by Kim Fajardo’s ability to distribute the ball to her spikers. No one benefited more from this than Aby Marano, who utilized her running spike to constantly drill the Ateneo’s defense.
Ateneo co-captain Ella de Jesus kept her team within striking distance as she pushed her squad closer with a service ace and a block-piercing spike. Unfortunately, de Jesus’ effort was not enough to overcome the deficit, as the Lady Archers would hang on to their lead and seal the second set at 25-20.
DLSU was on its way to a commanding three-set sweep come the third set. They propelled themselves ahead at 5-1, led by Mika Reyes and her craftiness in the front-row. But the Ateneo Lady Spikers refused to fold as they got a spark from the returning Marge Tejada, who has been sidelined the past few games with a knee injury. Tejada’s efficiency from the service zone flipped the momentum and opened opportunities for the Ateneo’s rookies to step up. Julia Morado scored off deceptive second-ball tips while Kim Gequillana made the most out of her minutes with well-placed serves and spikes.
The Ateneo forced DLSU to call for time with an 11-7 advantage due to a Valdez cross-court winner. DLSU kept within striking distance for the remainder of the set, only to have Amy Ahomiro disrupt any moment of brilliance from the Lady Archers. Ahomiro’s back-to-back blocks frustrated DLSU and helped the Ateneo pull away from their rivals, finishing the third set at 25-19 with an emphatic spike from first year player Gequillana.
The fourth set boiled down to a back-and-forth affair which eventually saw DLSU gain the upper hand and position themselves at match point, 24-21. That was when the set’s fate fell into the hands of the service zone.
Cyd Demecillo couldn’t seal the match for DLSU, committing a service error to keep the Ateneo alive. Valdez took advantage of the opportunity, recording back-to-back service aces to tie the set at 24-all.
However, on her third attempt, Valdez’s high-velocity shot smacked straight to the net, giving DLSU another match point opportunity at 25-24. Given another chance to seal the deal, DLSU would not fail to capitalize on the opportunity as they secured Game 2 with the Ateneo’s last attempt catching the net.
Valdez was the only double-digit scorer for the Ateneo with 15 points. Amy Ahomiro and Ella de Jesus tallied 9 points each. DLSU on the other hand had a trio of double-figure scorers with Ara Galang, Reyes and Marano scoring 17, 14 and 11 respectively.
Despite the commanding start from the Lady Archers, the Ateneo held on and gave a good fight. As DLSU’s head coach, Ramil de Jesus shared after the match, “Nag-karoon ng pag-rerelax. Kumapit yung kalaban. Nakuha nila yung third set. Lumakas yung crowd. Kaya gumanda yung laban (We relaxed. The opponent held on. They got the third set. The crowd got into the game. That’s why the match became better).”
The defeat means the Ateneo will be in a do-or-die situation in Game 3 which will be held on Wednesday, March 12, 4PM at the Mall of Asia Arena. DLSU is now just a win away from securing their fourth consecutive title.
Valdez shared after the match that the team lacked the “happy” mentality that Head Coach Anusorn “Tai” Bundit’s system thrives on. But reassured that a maximum effort will be on display come Wednesday. “Maglalaro lang kami ng sobrang ibibigay namin ang lahat (We will just play and give everything that we have),” says Valdez.
Prior to the game, Valdez was named the Best Server, Best Scorer and Most Valuable Player of Season 76. Her teammate, Lazaro, was also recognized in the ceremony, bagging the league’s Best Digger and Best Receiver awards.
