THE ATENEO Lady Eagles were defeated in four sets, 17-25, 13-25, 25-19, 27-29, by the National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs on Wednesday, February 8 at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.
The loss puts the Lady Eagles at a 1-1 record in the elimination round of the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Women’s Volleyball tournament
The first set saw a rough start for the Blue and White as reigning Shakey’s V-League MVP Jaja Santiago quickly asserted her presence with two quick points. The height of Santiago would continue to provoke the Lady Eagles, as she blocked shot after shot while contributing some of her own offense to see NU take the first set, 17-25.
Michelle Morente then opened the second set with a ferocious crosscourt spike; However, both teams would then go on a rally until the first technical timeout (8-7) with Ateneo leading. Rookie Jules Samonte experienced her UAAP debut, and she was able to contribute a point in her short cameo. However, some unforced errors from the Lady Eagles would prove costly, as NU began to pull away, entering the second technical timeout up by seven. (9-16). The Lady Bulldogs would then go on to claim the second set, 13-25.
The match looked bound for a sweep as the third set saw NU race off to an early 2-0 lead. However, Maraguinot and De Leon combined well to see Ateneo through the first technical timeout up by three (8-5). Morente and Tolentino would soon come to the tandem’s aid as Ateneo took the third set, 25-19.
The fourth set saw Bea De Leon get off to a fiery start as she scored three consecutive points to see Ateneo through the first technical timeout up by six (8-2). However, crucial stops from NU’s Jorelle Singh, along with some scoring from Jaja Santiago and Risa Sato, would see the Lady Bulldogs eventually tie the game at 23-all. Both teams would then trade points back and forth, with spikes from Tolentino and De Leon combatting those of Jaja Santiago. Eventually, an NU crosscourt spike would seal the game for the Lady Bulldogs, 27-29.
The Ateneo Lady Eagles square off against Far Eastern University (FEU) this Sunday, February 12, at the Fioil Flying V Centre in San Juan City at 4pm.
Box Scores:
Ateneo: De Leon- 14, Maraguinot- 12, Morente- 11, Tolentino- 9, Morado- 4, Madayag- 4, Gequillana- 1, Samonte- 1
NU: Santiago- 26, Singh- 16, Sato- 12, Nabor- 8, Urdas- 7, Doromal- 6.
THE ATENEO Lady Eagles were defeated in four sets, 17-25, 13-25, 25-19,27-29, by the National University Lady Bulldogs, putting them at 1-1 in the eliminations standings.
https://storify.com/TheGUIDONSports/uaap-season-79-women-s-volleyball-ateneo-vs-nu
