THE LADY Spikers are determined to fulfill their promise of coming back stronger.
The Ateneo Lady Spikers scored scintillating wins against the University of Sto. Tomas Tigresses and Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws—the first time they have vanquished both teams in the first round—as they wrapped up the first half of the elimination round with an impressive 5-2 win-loss slate for solo second place standing.
Finishing the way they started
Unwavering. The Lady Spikers appear to be true to their promise as they remain consistent so far in their performances. Photo by Joseph Angan
The Lady Spikers concluded the first round the way they kicked things off—with a sweep.
On January 16, Dzi Gervacio came out with all guns ablaze in the fiercely-contested first set, converting on nine phenomenal kills in the opening salvo to help the Lady Spikers nose out, 25-23, on their way to sweeping their final assignment of the first round as the Lady Warriors never recovered.
Trailing, 10-11 in the first set, Gervacio went into rampage, unleashing five consecutive kills to give the Lady Spikers a, 15-10 advantage. Bea Pascual added five points, connecting mostly on signature lightning-quick plays as the Lady Spikers snatched the set, 25-23.
Taking the struggling Warriors complacently, Coach Roger Gorayeb was infuriated during one time-out, telling the squad that they should be more focused and not take their opponents lightly. The Lady Spikers bench responded as Averil Paje and Misha Quimpo combined for five points on one crucial stage of the set. Jem Ferrer ended the set with her patented tricky placing shot, 25-21.
Reserve Ailysse Nacachi made most of the opportunity given to her as she scored the first point of the third set with a kill while rookie Jessica Bagatsing also capitalized on the playing time rewarded to her by chipping in four points. Dzi Gervacio drilled an axed-like spike to finish the game with the Lady Spikers completing a sweep, 25-20.
Dzi Gervacio finished the game with 15 points while Fille Cainglet added 10 points for the Lady Spikers who duplicated their sweep on their first outing against the University of Philippines Lady Maroons on December.
Penultimate match
Edging out the Tigresses in a dramatic five-setter on December, the Lady Spikers faced yet another litmus test against the Lady Tamaraws on January 10 and delivered—marking the first time that they trounced both perennial powerhouse teams in the first round.
The troika of Bea Pascual, Kara Acevedo and Fille Cainglet combined for 37 points—highlighting a spectacular team effort by the team’s starting six who each scored at least eight points—to lead the Lady Spikers in subduing the Lady Tamaraws, 3-1.
After a lackluster collapse in the first set, the Lady Spikers went out with renewed vigor and stamina in the second set. Knotted at 20-apiece, Cainglet scored on a drop shot that sparked a 5-0 surge by the Lady Spikers to finish the set via an Averil Paje kill.
The Lady Tamaraws started out strong in the third set and grabbed an early 3-0 lead. The Lady Spikers snatched the lead as Ferrer connected on her crafty toss to make it 10-8 before the squad switched on their deadly style of assault and started dominating the game. Ho scored four points while Gervacio, who had a quiet night, concluded the set with a crushing kill, 25-18.
One set away from slaying yet another daunting foe, the Lady Spikers did not let the opportunity slip away.
The Lady Spikers showcased a dazzling display of their abilities ranging from Pascual’s quick sets to the leftie Acevedo’s spikes and Ferrer’s outstanding setting and tricky placings, easily turning the fourth set into an exhibition of their prowess. The game ended with the Lady Tamaraws looking at each other, frozen, after Jem Ferrer’s serve went straight thru the hole in the middle of the Morayta-based spikers’ defense to seal the victory for the Lady Spikers, 25-16.
Jem Ferrer was named player of the game after scoring eight points and orchestrating 81 electrifying sets. Gervacio, having an off game contributed eight points while Ho added nine.
