La Salle gets back at Ateneo, moves a win away from ‘four peat’

Video by NOY MORCOSO III/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines – Defending champion De La Salle regained its dominant form with a vengeful 25-14, 25-20, 19-25, 26-24 win over Ateneo in Game 2 of the UAAP Season 76 women’s volleyball Finals Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Ara Galang set the tone while skipper Abi Maraño led the strong finishing kick for the Lady Spikers, who aim to close the series out on Wednesday in Game 3.

Tinignan lang namin kung anong reason bakit kami natalo nung (We looked at the reasons why we lost) Game 1. Natalo kami and ayaw namin maulit (We lost and we didn’t want it to happen again). Hindi kami magpapaagaw ng korona (We won’t let them take our crown),” said Galang, who scored a game-high 17 points.

Maraño took matters into her own hands in the crucial stages of the fourth set with her hit giving the Lady Spikers a 23-20 lead.

But the Lady Eagles, who pulled off a 17-25, 25-23, 25-13, 25-20 shocker that snapped the Lady Spikers’ 30-game winning streak last Wednesday, battled back from 20-24 down with team captain Alyssa Valdez validating her Best Server recognition with back-to-back service aces knotting the count at 24.

Valdez, the newly-minted MVP, kept Ateneo within striking distance in the fourth set but just couldn’t get enough lift in the end to extend the match to a deciding set.

The Lady Eagles hung on but two crucial errors sealed the Lady Spikers’ victory with the match point coming off a miscue by rookie Kim Gequillana before a service error by Valdez.

Video by NOY MORCOSO III/INQUIRER.net

Ateneo committed 38 errors as compared to La Salle’s 30.

Mika Reyes bounced back from a sub-par outing in Game 1 with 14 points for La Salle, which eyes to become just the first team in the Final Four era to pull off a ‘four peat.’

“No more reason para mawala ulit kung ano man yung nawala sa amin nung first (for us to lose whatever we lost in the first) game. Feeling ko mas kailangan pa namin magpursige (I feel like we still need to work harder),” said DLSU head coach Ramil de Jesus.

Ateneo held its breath after Best Digger and Best Receiver Denden Lazaro twisted her left ankle in the first set. Lazaro returned early in the third set and sparked her team’s play.

Valdez was the lone Lady Eagle in double-digit scoring with 15 points while Ella de Jesus and Amy Ahomiro adding nine each.

Far Eastern University was the last team to capture four championships in a row with the Lady Tamaraws winning it from 1969-73.

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