JOY Cases of Air Force blocks Desiree Dadang of National University in yesterday’s match at Filioil Flying V Arena. AUGUST DELA CRUZ
Another big game from Ateneo star Alyssa Valdez finally got a fitting reward. Along the way, the Lady Eagles also ended a string of heartbreaks.
Unrelenting right from the start, the Lady Eagles, with Valdez at the helm, stunned the PLDT Home Telpad Turbo Boosters, 25-18, 25-21, 28-26, yesterday to stay in the thick of the fight for a semifinal berth in the Shakey’s V-League Season 11 Open Conference at Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.
Losing their last two games in five sets, the Lady Eagles hardly looked deflated with Valdez leading the charge with a game-high 26 points.
The reigning UAAP champions found the right combinations on attack while holding their ground against the Turbo Boosters’ power game to secure their third win in eight games.
The win kept the Lady Eagles within striking distance of Air Force which opened the quarterfinals with a 14-25, 25-14, 25-12, 25-14 smashing of National U.
Flexing their muscles starting in the second set, the Raiders overwhelmed the Lady Bulldogs with their superior attacking game and improved to 5-3, firming up their hold of the No. 4 spot.
Judy Caballejo and Joy Cases combined for 29 hits while Liza Deramos came through with five blocks in the fourth set to help seal the one-hour, 28-minute victory for the Raiders, who also drew a fine outing from Rhea Dimaculangan with 41 excellent sets.
With the loss, the Lady Bulldogs fell into a tie for last place with the Lady Eagles with a 3-5 mark.
Jaja Santiago had 15 hits for the Lady Bulldogs, but the Raiders neutralized the rest of the squad with superb net defense.
Amy Ahomiro tossed in 10 hits while Miren Gequillana and Bea de Leon each had seven points as the Lady Eagles avenged their first round loss to the Turbo Boosters whose mentor Roger Gorayeb was actually Ateneo’s former coach.
Unlike their tight losses to Army and Cagayan Valley, the Lady Eagles came up with a strong finish in each of the three sets to complete the upset in just 78 minutes.
The Lady Eagles, however, will need plenty of catching up to do to secure a Final Four berth.
Suzanne Roces fired 13 hits, Laurence Ann Latigay had nine spikes but Gretchel Soltones couldn’t find her groove and was held to just eight points.
With Valdez taking charge, the Lady Eagles held an 11-point edge on attack points with 49. On the defensive end, the Lady Eagles were stout with seven blocks.