MANILA, Philippines – The Ateneo de Manila University Lady Eagles snapped out of a two-game losing skid as they subdued the University of the Philippines Lady Maroons in straight sets, 25-15, 25-14, 26-24, in the 76th UAAP Women’s Volleyball tournament, Wednesday, January 22 at The Arena in San Juan.
Ateneo, who dropped their last two games against De La Salle, overcame a sluggish start as they turned a 5-8 deficit into a 25-15 opening set win through the efforts of Amy Ahomiro and Ella De Jesus who combined for 22 points.
UP then got off to a decent start in the second set as they led Ateneo in the early goings, 7-3, but Alyssa Valdez emerged out of thin air to tow the Lady Eagles to a 10-2 run to close the second set in their favor, 25-14.
With their backs against the wall, the Lady Maroons finally displayed their fighting form as they clawed their way back into the game from an 11-16 deficit to take setpoint at 24-23.
Valdez and Ahomiro, however, brought UP crashing back to earth as they put on just the right stops in end-game to seal the deal for the Lady Eagles, 26-24.
It was just another day in the office for Valdez as she top scored in the game with 19 markers while Ahomiro and de Jesus finished with 14 and 8 respectively.
With Ana Gopico declared out for the season with an ACL injury, Mary Mae Tajima came up with her best game in an Ateneo uniform so far as she tallied in a season-high six points.
No Lady Maroon made it in double-digits today with their leading scorer Angeli Araneta only scoring 8.
It was not an efficient afternoon for the Lady Eagles as they committed 27 errors against UP’s 13 but their attacking dominance saved the day for them as they fired 45 compared to the Maroons’ 19.
With the win, Ateneo improves their standing to 6-3, inching closer to second-placer National University which currently holds a 7-1 win-loss slate.
UP, meanwhile, goes on with their season-long struggle, staying at 7th place with only a win to show in 9 games. – Rappler.com
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