THE ATENEO Lady Eagles have redeemed themselves from their previous disheartening loss against the De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Spikers in the first round of eliminations. The Blue and White emerged victorious in five sets: 21- 25, 25- 22, 25- 17, 21- 25, 15- 5, last Sunday, April 10, in the Mall of Asia Arena.

The Lady Eagles have remained on top in the elimination round; this game has no bearing on their rankings. The team currently stands at 12- 2 and is the first seed in the final four standings.

The first set ended in favor of the DLSU Lady Spikers, which is mostly due to errors and the failure of the team to harmonize in the beginning. The Blue and White started to improve their combination play and strengthen their defense, which paved the way for better and more focused attacks come the second and third set. Middle blocker Bea de Leon proved herself useful in this game with her solid blocks and many attempts to do so.

However, many were expecting the Lady Eagles to take the fourth set until they succumbed once again to errors, and the Lady Spikers took advantage of this by focusing on their offense. With the game at another stalemate, the Lady Eagles were highly motivated to win and swept the deciding set in favor to the Blue and White.

“It was really a bonus for us to win this game,” says Team Captain Alyssa Valdez. “Every game is really important. We really came to play and enjoy the game. I guess we were relieved not because we won against [them], but because we were able to show our potential in the game.”

Valdez contributed to the team with an outstanding score of 24 points all dedicated to attacks. 20 of these were spikes, and she managed a total of 3 service aces and 19 excellent digs throughout the game. Rising spiker Maraguinot followed by contributing 14 points to the total offensive output.

Ateneo: Valdez- 24, Maraguinot- 14, de Leon- 13, Ahomiro- 9, Gequillana- 9, Morado- 1

La Salle: Galang- 20, Baron- 15, Demecillo- 12, Dy- 11, Reyes- 6, Fajardo- 5

THE ATENEO Lady Eagles have redeemed themselves from their previous disheartening loss against the De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Spikers in the first round of eliminations. The Blue and White emerged victorious in five sets: 21- 25, 25- 22, 25- 17, 21- 25, 15- 5, last Sunday, April 10, in the Mall of Asia Arena.

https://storify.com/TheGUIDONSports/ateneolady-eagles-beat-top-notch-rival-dlsu-lady-s