THE ATENEO Lady Eagles defeated the De La Salle–College of Saint Benilde Lady Blazers, 23-25, 18-25, 25-8, 25-20, and, 15-10 on Saturday, August 1 at the Fil Oil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

Alyssa Valdez led the Blue and White with a game-high 32 points consisting of 26 attacks, a block, and five service aces. Bea De Leon followed Valdez’s offensive output with 11 points.

The Lady Eagles displayed a lackluster performance in the first two sets, where both teams fought closely for the match advantage. The first set featured a 27-minute seesaw battle which saw the Lady Blazers barely come out on top. The Blue and White then followed the set up by committing several errors at the start of the second. An 11-point gap occurred in the middle of the set, as the opponent continued to gain confidence in their skills.

The Katipunan-based squad did not want to settle for a mediocre score and fortunately, the spikers were able to step up. It was too late, however, as Benilde ended the second set with a score of 25-18.

The third set saw the spikers in Blue and White redeem themselves as they exhibited outstanding attacks and combinations. Valdez and Jhoanna Maraguinot led the way with booming spikes while De Leon executed a flurry of her own service aces. The Lady Eagles were also able to fix their receptions and defenses, which enabled them to earn a drastic lead against the Lady Blazers in the last three sets.

This win puts the Lady Eagles at 4-0 in the elimination round and atop Group B of the Shakey’s V-League.

Box Score:

Ateneo: 106- Valdez 32, De Leon 11, Maraguinot 9, Gequillana 7, Ahomiro 5, Madayag 3, Tan 2

CSB: 88- Panaga 17, Navarro 14, Torres 9, Lim 6, Cheng 2, Musa 2, Borrero 1, Ramos 1

Set scores: 23-25, 18-25, 25-8, 25-20, 15-10

Updated 13:07, August 2, 2015