THE ATENEO-MOTOLITE Lady Eagles defeated the Iriga-Navy (IRG) Lady Oragons in straight sets, 25-17, 25-19, 25-22 in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Open Conference on Sunday, November 4 at Filoil Flying V Centre, San Juan City.

Ateneo’s lineup was composed of the usual starters with Team Captain Bea de Leon, rookie Vanie Gandler, Deanna Wong, Maddie Madayag, Kat Tolentino, Ponggay Gaston, and Dani Ravena all taking to the court.

The Lady Eagles asserted their dominance early on in the match with a 5-0 run as Madayag sent the squad from Katipunan into the first TTO with a 8-2 lead. The Lady Eagles pounced on several errors to close off the first set, 25-17, after a massive block from attacking setter, Wong.

Iriga fought back in the second set as they scored the first three points in succession. Both teams traded points until the Lady Eagles answered back with a 3-0 run of their own that Gandler capped off with an ace, 8-6. The Lady Oragons maintained their composure and caught up at 15-all after Bautista scored off of a combination play. Ateneo then went on a 4-0 run with Wong contributing with an ace from the service deck. Gaston, de Leon, and Tolentino combined for a crucial run that proved vital in Ateneo’s second set victory, 25-19.

The third set was much tighter given what was at stake for Iriga. The Lady Warays were able to keep it close early on and even took the lead from the Lady Eagles. Ateneo recaptured the lead after Tolentino sent in a strong kill from the net, 8-7. The Lady Oragons did not back down as they took advantage of consecutive errors from Sam Fanger, one of the Lady Eagles rookies on display, 22-21. Looking to make amends, Fanger tipped the ball over the net perfectly to secure a set point which she managed to take with an excellent serve, 25-22.

The top scorer of the match was none other than Vanie Gandler, who led the Lady Eagles with 10 attack points and two aces. Asked about the importance of being a well-rounded player, she responded, “I want to do everything I can to help the team because we have a goal and that is to win.”

This win keeps the Ateneo-Motolite Lady Eagles in first place with a 9-2 record. On November 10, they will continue their campaign against the BanKo Perlas Spikers at the Malolos Sports & Convention Center in Bulacan.

Set Scores

Ateneo-IRG: 25-17, 25-19, 25-22