THE ATENEO Lady Eagles will once again play on the biggest stage of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 81 Women’s Volleyball Tournament after they finished off the Far Eastern University (FEU) Lady Tamaraws in four sets, 25-20, 21-25, 25-23, 25-14 on Wednesday, May 8, at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan.

Kat Tolentino led the Lady Eagles with 19 points composed of 17 spikes and two kill blocks. Maddie Madayag and Ponggay Gaston aided the effort with 12 points apiece. FEU Team Captain Jerrili Malabanan led the Lady Tamaraws with 18 markers.   

The Lady Eagles went with their battle-tested starters in Bea de Leon, Madayag, Tolentino, Gaston, Jules Samonte, Deanna Wong, and Kim Gequillana at libero. Janel Maraguinot, Vanie Gandler, and back-up libero Dani Ravena also saw playing time on the court.

De Leon got things started with a quick kill to draw first blood. It was a back and forth affair between the two teams early on until the Lady Eagles went on a 3-0 run to clinch the lead, 7-6. A net violation on FEU’s Maria Cayuna maintained the Blue and White’s lead heading into the first technical timeout (TTO) of the match, 8-7. The Lady Tamaraws responded with a 3-1 run, but the Lady Eagles countered with a 3-0 run of their own to take a 12-10 lead. Ateneo did not let up as they stayed on the attack, extending their run to 7-1 to take a five-point lead heading into the second TTO after a De Leon ace. FEU was unfazed as they inched closer and cut the lead to three, 17-14. Back-to-back points from the league’s best blocker Madayag forced FEU to call a timeout, 19-14. With a 24-20 lead, the Blue and White proved to be too much as Kyle Negrito committed a wide-return to give the Lady Eagles the first set, 25-20.

The second set was a different story as the Lady Tamaraws came charging right out the gates on a scorching 6-2 run, forcing Ateneo to call time early in the set. The Lady Eagles did not find an answer as FEU extended their lead to five going into the first TTO after a block from Ronquillo, 3-8. The Lady Eagles received a much needed breather as they clawed back to cut the lead, 8-10, with a 5-2 run. The Katipunan-based squad kept their foot on the pedal as they went on a 8-4 run to take the lead, 16-14. However, FEU shifted gears, charging back with 7-2 run to reclaim the lead, 18-21, behind Malabanan’s personal 3-0 run. With the score at 20-23, a kill from Malabanan gave FEU a comfortable four-point lead heading into set point, 20-24. A service error from Gandler handed the set to the Lady Tamaraws, 21-25, tying things at one-set apiece.

The Lady Eagles started the third set stronger as they grabbed an early 4-2 lead. FEU, as they’ve shown throughout the match, remained resilient with a 3-0 run to take the lead, 2-5. It was back and forth once again between the two teams as things were tied seven times by the 11-11 mark. The top-seeded Ateneo squad was relentless, unleashing a 5-1 run, 16-12, with the last point courtesy of an attack error from FEU’s France Ronquillo. FEU cut the lead via a 3-1 run, 17-15, urging Coach Oliver Almadro to regroup the Lady Eagles. Ateneo went on a 5-2 run heading into set point, 24-20. Despite saving three set points, FEU conceded a crucial third set after Gaston’s off the block kill captured a 2-1 set score lead for Ateneo.

Ateneo’s momentum carried over to the fourth set as they started with an astounding 8-1 run that saw FEU looking helpless early on. The Lady Eagles kept surging as they extended their lead to nine, 13-4, after Gaston denied a Heather Guino-o spike. Facing an overwhelming deficit, FEU regrouped to launch a 7-2 run to keep things interesting, 15-10. A back-row attack from Tolentino put a halt to FEU’s run as they headed into the second TTO of the set, 16-10. The Lady Eagles never stepped off the gas as they continued their onslaught on FEU approaching set point, 23-11. The Lady Tamaraws put on a final stand as they scored three more points before Kat Tolentino’s down the line kill put the exclamation point on Ateneo’s dominant display in the set, 25-14.

After the match, Coach Almadro had this to say about facing the well-rested University of Sto. Tomas Lady Tigresses: “We have to convince ourselves that we are equipped, we have to convince ourselves, and we have to believe that we will win,” he said. “We’ll just prepare mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.”

Madayag, Gequillana, and current Team Captain De Leon were all part of the Lady Eagle championship team of Season 77 and when De Leon was asked about their return to the finals, the veteran middle blocker responded, “We started it right, our batch, we have to end it right.”

The Lady Eagles will see the red hot University of Santo Tomas Lady Tigresses, who are currently riding on a five-game winning streak, in the UAAP Season 81 Women’s Volleyball Finals on Saturday, May 11 at 4:00 PM at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.

Set Scores: 25-20, 21-25, 25-23, 25-14