THE ATENEO Lady Eagles defeated the National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs in three sets, 25-18, 25-21 and 25-22, on Sunday, January 25, at the Fil Oil Flying V Arena in San Juan.
With former Ateneo Coach Roger Gorayeb patrolling the sidelines for the NU team, expectations were high for the Lady Bulldogs. Gorayeb is remembered to have led the Blue and White to back-to-back finals appearances in Seasons 74 and 75, and is expected to do the same with the Lady Bulldogs this year.
“Kilala kami ni Coach Roger personally, and syempre ‘yong physical skills namin alam niya din. Part talaga ng job ni Coach Roger na sabihin sa team kung paano kami maglaro (Coach Roger knows us personally, and of course he also knows our physical abilities. It’s part of his job to tell the team how we play),” shared Team Captain Alyssa Valdez.
NU still needed to adjust to the coaching style, however, as they struggled in the first set. The teams exchanged points early, with NU leading by two, 6-8, as they entered the first technical timeout. However, the Lady Bulldogs were unable to sustain their efforts, allowing the Lady Eagles to spark a 15-0 run through aggressiveness from Valdez and rookie Jhoana Maraguinot. This gave the Blue and White an immediate 21-8 marker by the end of the scoring roll.
NU then made a last ditch effort and hustled to cut the deficit to six, 18-24, but Maraguinot was there to seal the deal for Ateneo at 18-25 through a front court kill.
The second set featured a more cautious NU team that looked to recuperate from the first set frustrations. Team Captain Jaja Santiago and Jorelle Singh made some noise for the Lady Bulldogs through their crosscourt kills and blocks. Ateneo setter Jia Morado responded by utilizing Valdez, Maraguinot, rookie Bea de Leon and Amy Ahomiro alternately to confuse the NU defenders. Her efforts proved effective, as the set ended at 25-21 in favor of Ateneo.
The third and final set featured a service error-filled Ateneo team. Gorayeb took advantage of the errors by setting up an aggressive offense for both Santiago and Myla Pablo. The teams exchanged close leads, neither one allowing the other to gain a significant advantage. By the end of the first technical timeout, the score was at 8-7.
The Lady Eagles then broke away from the tight exchange through Ahomiro, who produced offensive blocks that registered significant points for Ateneo. This, coupled with Ella de Jesus’ and Valdez’s down-the-line kills, eventually positioned Ateneo at set point, 24-22. Pablo then committed an unfortunate service error that closed the set and match at 25-22.
The Lady Eagles won 46 points off attacks, a 16-point difference against NU’s 26. They also tallied six points each off blocks and service aces.
Valdez topped the team in scoring with 20 points followed up by Ahomiro with 10, Maraguinot with eight, De Jesus with seven, De Leon with five and Morado with four. Morado also distributed the ball with 39 excellent sets while libero Denden Lazaro notched 11 excellent digs.
Now at 8-0 in the elimination round standings, the Lady Eagles will look to extend their winning streak in their next game against Adamason University, 4 PM, Wednesday, January 28, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Scores:
ADMU: Valdez – 20, Ahomiro – 10, Maraguinot – 8, De Jesus – 7, De Leon – 5, Morado– 4
NU: Santiago – 10, Singh – 9, Pablo – 8, Mandapat – 3, Doromal – 2, Soliven – 2, Dadang – 1
