THE ATENEO Lady Eagles bounced back from their recent defeat at the hands of the De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Spikers with a straight-set victory over the Far Eastern University (FEU) Lady Tamaraws, prevailing 25-19, 25-21, 25-1 on Wednesday, March 7, at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.
The win sees the Lady Eagles open the second round of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Women’s Volleyball tournament with a much-needed victory to put Blue and White level with FEU at third seed with a 5-3 win-loss standing.
On offense, Jho Maraguinot led the team in scoring with a contribution of 15 points, while Kat Tolentino and Jules Samonte followed with 11 points and eight points, respectively. Ria Lo tallied 11 of the team’s 43 excellent digs, and Deanna Wong engineered 28 of the team’s 30 excellent sets. Ponggay Gaston also contributed seven of the team’s excellent receptions in her first appearance as the team’s libero.
In the first set, the Lady Eagles found themselves on top entering the first technical timeout (TTO). A service error from the Lady Tamaraws then enabled the Blue and White to enter the second TTO with a four point advantage (16-12). Eventually, a quick from Bea de Leon would claim the set for the Lady Eagles at 25-19.
The Lady Eagles opened the second set in almost similar fashion to the first, as the team entered the second TTO leading by three, 16-13. An error would then see the Lady Tamaraws go down two sets to none, 25-21.
In the final set, the Lady Eagles wrapped things up quickly , gaining another favourable margin 16-11 as FEU called a time-out. Maraguinot’s attack down the line ultimately claimed the set and match for the Lady Eagles at 25-17.
After the match, Kat Tolentino spoke about the team’s eagerness to open the second round of the tournament on a strong note. “It was like a fresh start for us,” shared Tolentino. “We really wanted to start off strong.”
After overcoming a packed schedule, The Lady Eagles will take a ten-day break to prepare for their match with the first-seed National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs on Saturday, March 17, at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.
Set Score
Ateneo-FEU: 25-19, 25-21, 25-17
Box Score
Ateneo: Maraguinot – 15, Tolentino – 11, Samonte – 8, De Leon– 7, Madayag– 6, Wong – 2
FEU: Basas- 10, Domingo- 7, Pons- 5, Guino-o— 3, Malabanan- 8, Villareal- 3, Negrito- 3, Cayuna- 1
