Galang, Valdez pace UAAP statistics races
La Salle’s outside hitter Ara Galang stayed on course to retaining her scoring title by pacing the field in the women’s volleyball tournament of UAAP Season 77.
Ateneo’s Alyssa Valdez, meanwhile, leads the tournament in both spiking and serving accuracy and is widely considered the finest candidate thus far in the MVP derby.
Galang, the Lady Spikers’ take-charge spiker, shows the way in the Best Scorer race with 102 points on 82 spikes, 13 blocks and 10 service aces. She has powered La Salle to the top of the table with a 5-0 record.
Record released by the league statistician TMX Sports also showed Valdez with a tournament-leading 45.33-percent success rate in spiking and an 83-percent norm in serving accuracy.
The nimble looker from San Juan, Batangas, is seeking to help Ateneo win a second successive UAAP title.
But it was Galang’s season-best 27 points in La Salle’s 25-23, 24-26, 25-14, 25-17 defeat of Adamson University on Nov. 23 that paced all comers.
It was a point shy of her career-high 28 which she set in Game 3 of the Season 76 Finals last March.
Valdez lay second in scoring behind Galang with 81 points on 68 attacks, 10 service aces and three blocks.
Rounding out the Top 5 scorers are Bernadette Pons of Far Eastern University (76), Jaja Santiago of National University (75) and Nicole Tiamzon of University of the Philippines (72).
The 6-foot-4 Santiago is running second to Valdez in spiking average with 41.29 percent.
Mika Reyes of La Salle and Mylene Paat of Adamson share the lead in blocks with 1.00 average per set.
Adamson libero Marleen Cortel leads in digs with 3.29, followed by FEU’s Tin Agno with 2.79.
Jia Morado of the Lady Eagles paces the setting department with a 10.67 average per set, with last year’s Best Setter Kim Fajardo of La Salle not far behind in second spot with an 8.24.
Ateneo’s Ella de Jesus (43.48 percent) and libero Denden Lazaro (40) are 1-2 in reception. Steve Silva, Contributor
