THE ATENEO Lady Eagles outplayed the Far Eastern University (FEU) Lady Tamaraws, defeating them in three straight sets, 25-14, 28-26, 25-22, on Monday, September 5 at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
Adamant to claim victory over FEU after losing out to them in the quarterfinals, the Lady Eagles commanded the game from the get-go. Initial resilient defending from the Lady Tamaraws kept the Blue and Whites at bay but as the game progressed, many of the Ateneo attacks proved too much to handle. A run of consecutive wins via huge Michelle Morente spikes and Kim Gequillana service aces managed to give the Ateneo an early set point (24-12) that they managed to claim, courtesy of an Ana Gopico winner that impressively found the left corner of the opposing court. The set ended 25-14.
With pressure piling on the Gold and Green, the Lady Tamaraws asserted their dominance by pushing for an early lead of two points, only to lose footing after impressive team displays from the Ateneo (6-6). The Blue and Whitenthen drew ahead with Morente leading by example with an unmatchable performance (18-14). A drop in intensity of the Lady Eagles allowed FEU to eventually pull ahead of Ateneo to reach the set point (21-24) but resolute defending from a determined Bea de Leon and well-needed service aces from Ponggay Gaston put Ateneo on equal terms with FEU at 24-all. The teams exchanged services in a tense affair that eventually saw the Ateneo win the set after a total of seven unbelievable set points played.
For the third set in a row, FEU claimed the first point but were unable to hold on to their lead as the game progressed. The Lady Eagles claimed an early six-point deficit with Gequillana playing a starring role in many of the points (10-4), which they managed to maintain going into mid-set. As had happened in set 2, the Lady Eagles found themselves tied at 22 all, after FEU mounted some effective attacks. The Eagles however, managed to close the set and win the first game of the semifinals after a great Jules Samonte serve. The set ended 25-22.
Building on their brilliant attacking performance from last Saturday’s game, the Lady Eagles continued their aggressive, quick-paced offensive play against FEU. Team Captain Morente proved invaluable, garnering the most points of the evening with a total of 13, of which 10 are spikes and is only matched by teammate de Leon. Gequillana impressed as well with 12 points, managing two blocks and two service aces. Jia Morado also shone with 39 excellent sets while substitute libero Jamie Lavitoria claimed 10 successful receptions.
Following their excellent performance, Blue and White Captain Morente said: “Ganoon talaga ‘yun, point by point lang, na-gain na namin ang confidence namin [That’s how it is, just point by point, we gained our confidence already].”
Box Scores:
Ateneo: Morente-13, De Leon-13, Gequillana-12, Gopico-11, Gaston-3, Morado-3, Samonte-1
FEU: Guino-o-11, Basas-10, Palma-7, Cayuna-5, Negrito-2, Domingo-2, Malabanan-2
