THE ATENEO Women’s Volleyball Team (AWVT) faltered against archrivals De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Spikers in straight sets, 12-25, 22-25, 19-25. The University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86 first-round matchup was held earlier today at the Mall of Asia Arena in the City of Pasay.
With today’s loss, the Blue and White fall to a 1-3 win-loss record which places them at seventh in the Women’s tournament standings.
Lyann De Guzman paced the Blue Eagles as the only scorer in double digits, notching a game-high 15 points and seven excellent digs. For the Lady Spikers, Thea Gagate led the way with 15 markers of her own, five of which came from blocks to help DLSU pick up their third win of the season.
From the opening canto, the Lady Spikers displayed their championship experience by hounding Ateneo at the net. The Taft-based squad out-blocked the Blue Eagles 4-1 by the end of the set, capitalizing on the Blue and White’s errors early on. With the set’s result never in doubt, Gagate’s two aces and Amie Provido’s powerful spike closed out the frame with a 13-point advantage for La Salle, 25-12.
However, the Blue Eagles were undeterred by their poor first set, as they opened up a 2-0 lead in the succeeding set off attacks from Yvana Sulit and De Guzman. The latter showed off her veteran prowess by scoring back-to-back, including an ace, putting Ateneo up 4-1.
With a tight affair in the second set, DLSU mostly played catch-up as the Blue Eagles never relinquished their lead until the backend of the set. With the frame tied at 18, a quick kill by Gagate handed La Salle their first lead of the canto, 19-18. From thereon, the Blue and White were unable to regain their advantage and ultimately surrendered the set off an Angel Canino attack off the block, 22-25.
In the third set, Ateneo was simply unsuccessful in reclaiming the momentum they gained in the previous frame as the Lady Spikers soared to a 6-1 start that included two aces. Leading by as much as seven in the set, DLSU never looked back and eventually sealed their victory courtesy of a block point from Canino, 25-19.
After the loss, Team Captain Roma Mae Doromal talked about the lessons they learned from their bout against the defending champions.
“Na-open talaga ‘yung eyes namin sa things na kailangan pa naming ma-improve, mga kailangan pa naming i-work on sa training,” the libero said.
(Our eyes were opened to the things we need to improve on, and what we need to work on during training.)
The Blue Eagles will look to bounce back as they take on the top-seeded University of Santo Tomas Golden Tigresses on Saturday, March 9, at 2:00 PM at the same venue.