THE ATENEO Lady Eagles continue their straight-set winning streak after overpowering University of Santo Tomas (UST) in three sets, 25-21, 25-13, 25-19, on Saturday, December 6, at the Fil Oil Flying V Arena in San Juan.
Team Captain Alyssa Valdez made her presence felt early in the match, immediately tallying three points off her block-piercing attacks. Ateneo was not able to hold on to the lead, however, as they committed six straight errors that gave UST an easy three-point margin at 4-7.
Rookie Bea de Leon then hustled to stop the bleeding for the team with the help of the excellent assists by setter Jia Morado. Her efforts gained little return, however, as EJ Laure and Pam Lastimosa extended the deficit to five, 13-18.
Ateneo had to scrape their way to bring the score apiece as they improved on their offensive lapse. Coach Anusorn “Tai” Bundit fielded in rookie Jhoana Maraguinot and veteran Ella de Jesus for a multitude of attacks. Their efforts eventually tied the game at 19.
The rally continued on until Valdez put the team at set point with a 24-21 marker. She then finished the come-from-behind effort with a smart drop to the UST frontline, 25-21.
The second and third sets featured a more organized Blue and White team that administered an outpour of points from attacks. The team dominated in points and held the lead throughout both sets, care of the aggressiveness from Valdez, De Jesus and Amy Ahomiro.
While the Lady Eagles cruised through, the UST side committed several reception and service errors that hindered them from taking control of their offensive play. Jessey De Leon strived to carry the UST squad on her shoulders but her hustle was not enough to gain a significant tally against the rallying Ateneo. De Leon eventually closed the set and the match for the Lady Eagles with a quick attack at 25-19.
This win puts the Lady Eagles at 4-0 in the elimination round standings, ranking first together with the De La Salle University.
The Lady Eagles garnered 42 points off their attacks, a 17-point difference against UST’s 25. They also tallied two points off their blocks and seven from service aces.
Valdez topped the team in scoring with 22 points followed up by Ella de Jesus with 12 and Bea de Leon with six. Both Maraguinot and Ahomiro had four points each while setter Jia Morado notched three markers. Morado also distributed the ball with 23 excellent sets while libero Denden Lazaro tallied eight excellent digs.
This will be the team’s last game for the year as they head off to Indonesia to represent the Philippines in the ASEAN University Games. Their next game will be against the University of the Philippines Lady Maroons, 2 PM, Sunday, January 4, 2015 at the Fil Oil Flying V Arena in San Juan.
The Lady Eagles’ game against the University of the East Lady Warriors is moved to January 15, 2015, 2 PM, Saturday in the same venue.
