Ateneo, Adamson gun for title berths

IF THE series openers were any indication of how tight the semifinals of the Shakey’s V-League Season 10 First Conference would turn out, then Game 2 today promises to serve up a couple of thrillers.

Ateneo and Adamson try to seal their first championship meeting in two years by sweeping their respective semifinal rivals as the V-League holds its first playdate at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

The Lady Eagles go for a repeat win over the University of Santo Tomas Tigresses at 4 p.m. after the Lady Falcons’ 2 p.m. date with the National University Lady Bulldogs.

With Thai import Jeng Bualee reinforcing the attack, the Lady Eagles fought back from a set down to topple the Tigresses, 19-25, 25-16, 29-27, 25-14,  while the Lady Falcons stunned the Lady Bulldogs in a marathon five-setter, 22-25, 25-18, 25-19, 22-25, 15-13, last Tuesday.

Despite the solid form of his squad, Ateneo coach Roger Gorayeb refused to be carried away by their Game 1 victory.

“Our job is not finished, because we know UST is capable of coming back,” said Gorayeb.

The Lady Eagles already looked formidable even without Bualee, who was picked up by Gorayeb following the elimination of San Sebastian from the tournament.

And the Thai seemed to fit in perfectly, giving the Lady Eagles added attacking options apart from Rachel Anne Daquis and Alyssa Valdez, who had three crucial hits late in the third set that tilted the balance of the match in favor of Ateneo.

“We have to improve our combination plays, just like the way we played in Game 1,” said Gorayeb, who drew 25 points from Valdez and 13 from Daquis.

The Lady Falcons are hoping for a repeat performance from Angela Benting, whose inspired form in Game 1 keyed the victory.

Now listed as a guest player having used up all her playing years for the Lady Falcons, Benting fired 28 points to help pin a first loss on the Lady Bulldogs in the tournament. With a report from Nikka Valenzuela