DESPITE RALLYING back in the third and fourth sets to even the contest, the Ateneo-Motolite Lady Eagles fell in the fifth and deciding set of game one in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Open Conference semifinals against the BanKo Perlas Spikers (BKP), 23-25, 19-25, 25-21, 25-19, 6-15 on Wednesday, November 28 at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.

The Lady Eagles were led by the tall and lengthy Kat Tolentino who finished the game with a total of 20 points, 14 of which came from attacks and four came from blocks to go along with a pair of service aces. Ponggay Gaston did a considerable amount of damage as well on the BKP defense with 14 attack points. Maddie Madayag chipped in 12 points (3 block points) while the impressive rookie, Vanessa Gandler, chalked up 11 points for the Blue and White.

BKP rode the shoulders of Nicole Tiamzon and Angeline Gervacio who both reached the 20-point mark at the end of the match. Tiamzon finished the contest as the top scorer with 25 points, 21 coming from attacks and the rest off her serves. On the other hand, Gervacio earned herself 17 attack points coupled with three aces. Katherine Bersola and Suzanne Roces added 16 and 12 markers, respectively.

Both teams started out the game showing a glimpse of their offensive capabilities as spikes were hit here and there. The Perlas Spikers eventually got a small lead heading into the technical timeout through Joy Dacoron’s running spike, 6-8. They added to the small advantage they had to seven with a block on Ateneo’s Jules Samonte, 10-17. However, the Blue and White pulled themselves out of the hole, cutting BKP’s lead to a single point, 23-24, before Gervacio ended the set with a powerful hit, 23-25.

The Perlas Spikers, yet again, managed to grab a foothold of the second set as Tiamzon’s spike overpowered the Ateneo block, 3-7. The Lady Eagles would stay close throughout the set until former Lady Eagle Gervacio extended BKP’s lead to six with a back row attack en route to secure the 2-0 lead in the match, 25-19.

The Katipunan-based side took their turn in the third set to gain some momentum, building an early lead, 8-4, with Gandler’s cross-court hit and Madayag’s denial on Tiamzon’s attack. Ateneo got into the second technical timeout, doubling the score of BanKo Perlas, 16-8, through Team Captain Bea De Leon’s quick. BKP threatened to pull of a comeback but the Lady Eagles would hang on and claim a 25-21 third set victory.

It was a similar start for the Blue and White in the fourth set as they built on an early 8-4 lead as Gandler managed to hit the ball over the outstretched arms of the Perlas Spikers’ blockers. Tolentino’s effort from the back row electrified the crowd as the team kept their distance from the BanKo Perlas side, 11-6. Ateneo would continue to maintain the gap they had created and finally tie the set score at 2-apiece, 25-19.

Just when the Lady Eagles looked set to complete a comeback in the fifth set, the Perlas Spikers had plans to spoil their night as they got off to an astounding 1-7 lead early on with Tiamzon’s left handed attack. The Ateneo floor defense lost their footing which handed BKP a 4-12 advantage that eventually awarded them a 6-15 victory and game one of the semi-finals.

Trailing a match down in the best of three semifinal series, the Ateneo-Motolite Lady Eagles will look to stretch the semi-final series against the BanKo Perlas Spikers at 2:00 PM on Saturday, December 1, at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan.

Set Scores: 23-25, 19-25, 25-21, 25-19, 6-15

Box Score:

Ateneo-Motolite: Tolentino 20, Gaston 14, Madayag 12, Gandler 11, De Leon 6, Samonte 6, Wong 3, Fanger 0, Gequillana 0, Ravena 0, Maraguinot 0, Raagas 0, Furukawa 0, Delos Reyes 0

BanKo Perlas: Tiamzon 25, Gervacio 20, Bersola 16, Roces 12, Dacoron 4, Ahomiro 4, Doromal 2, Villanueva 1, Ferrer 1, Emnas 0, Tan 0, De Jesus 0, Devanadera 0, Tajima 0