Sports

Lady Eagles slip in Game 2 to UST

By
Published October 2, 2019 at 10:45 pm

THE ATENEO Lady Eagles were overcome by the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Golden Tigresses in four sets, 26-24, 18-25, 17-25, 17-25, in the second game of their best-of-three semi-finals series in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Collegiate Conference on Wednesday, October 2, at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City. 

Ravena was once again a shining light for Ateneo’s defense, as she recorded a double-double of 22 excellent digs and 10 excellent receives. The Lady Eagles’ offense, on the other hand, struggled mightily with a 27.71% spike success rate, and top scorer Faith Nisperos was kept to 11/48 spikes. Sloppiness was another major issue, conceding 38 points to UST on errors alone.

The Lady Eagles found success early in the first set, earning an 8-6 advantage by the first technical timeout (TTO), but attack errors let UST back into the game, 13-13. Both teams traded points until the closing minutes of the first set, when an error from Jules Samonte gifted some breathing room to UST, 21-23. The Lady Eagles quickly bounced back with a 5-0 run thanks to multiple kills off the block and a service ace by Maraguinot to take the set, 26-24.

In the second set, the Lady Eagles struggled to defend UST’s quick play and entered the first TTO with a deficit, 6-8. The Blue and White were able to take the lead for a short time, but further attack and service errors kept them in the hole at the second TTO, 12-16. At set point, Gandler’s attack went wide of the line, giving UST the set, 18-25.

Nisperos’ offensive woes in the third set kept the Lady Eagles from building momentum. The Golden Tigresses contained their attacks efficiently with well-timed blocks which built them an 8-2 advantage at the first TTO. More attack errors and blocks on Nisperos saw the deficit grow even further at the second TTO, 8-16. With UST about to gain the set point advantage, Ateneo Head Coach Oliver Almadro passionately protested a no-call on a possible four-touches violation. Almadro called a timeout to voice his concerns to the referees, but he was eventually shown a yellow card. An attack error by Erika Raagas surrendered set point, 17-25.

UST’s Eya and EJ Laure carried the UST offense in the fourth set. Ateneo found themselves down at the first TTO, 5-8, but a combination play finished by Raagas tied up the score, 10-10. Multiple attack errors put Ateneo in a five-point hole, 15-20, and the Blue and White could not claw back the match at that point. A block on Nisperos eventually ended the set and the match, 17-25.

The Lady Eagles will put their hopes for the finals on the line against UST in Game Three of the semi-finals at 11:00 AM on Sunday, October 6, at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.

Set Scores:

Ateneo-UST: 26-24, 18-25, 17-25, 17-25


How do you feel about the article?

Leave a comment below about the article. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *.

Related Articles


Sports

December 21, 2024

ICYMI: Blue Eagles claim third place at Hong Kong International Baseball Open

Sports

December 15, 2024

Blue Eagles surrender title to FEU via penalty shootout

Sports

December 15, 2024

Mababangloob’s second gold medal finish highlights Ateneo Judo’s Season 87 stint

From Other Staffs


Features

December 20, 2024

Home away from home: Christmas in temporary PLHIV shelters

Features

December 15, 2024

Kampana ng Simbahan: The homily as a political weapon

Opinion

December 14, 2024

Pinky promise

Tell us what you think!

Have any questions, clarifications, or comments? Send us a message through the form below.