DLSU lady tossers whip Ateneo

MANILA, Philippines — De La Salle, working behind a solid attacking game, overpowered Ateneo, 25-16, 25-20, 25-16, Sunday night for its sixth straight victory in the UAAP Season 76 women’s volleyball tournament before a crowd of 12,736 at Mall of Asia Arena.

Mika Reyes finished with 13 points, including six points off blocks, while skipper Abigail Marano fired nine hits, most of which coming at crucial moments, as the Lady Spikers extended their winning streak to 22 games dating back to last season.

“We didn’t expect to win by three sets. We just wanted to win,” said La Salle coach Ramil de Jesus, whose team has yet to drop a set this season.

Alyssa Valdez finished with 11 points for Ateneo, but she managed just eight attacks in 30 attempts as Reyes and Kim Fajardo kept the Lady Eagles skipper in check for most of the game.

Except for the early part of the first set, the Lady Spikers, who swept the Lady Eagles in last year’s finals, were hardly troubled en route to victory in just 70 minutes.

Ateneo, which committed 26 errors, absorbed only its second loss in seven games, leaving the Lady Eagles in third spot.

Earlier, National U outlasted Adamson, 26-28, 25-21, 30-28, 25-20, for its sixth sin in seven games for solo second.

The Lady Falcons, who lost for the third time in six games, dropped into a two-way tie for fourth spot with Far Eastern U.

La Salle also continued to hold sway in baseball after a 14-4 dumping of Santo Tomas at Rizal Memorial Baseball Park.

Over at FEU Diliman pitch, University of the Philippines handed FEU its first loss of the season with an emphatic 3-0 dumping behind goals from Jose Santos, Jinggoy Valmayor and Gabe Mendoza. The defending champion Maroons climbed to second with 15 points, just three behind FEU.

La Salle and Ateneo fought to a goalless draw at Moro Lorenzo Football Field, leaving the Green Archers in third with 13 points.