No fear, only fire

La Salle Lady Spikers. Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

BRINGING its bravado back, La Salle sent a dominating message to its fierce rival: This is no longer the same UAAP women’s volleyball field that Ateneo toyed with for two seasons.

And, more importantly, these are not the same Lady Spikers that lost to the Lady Eagles in two straight championship duels.

La Salle came out with a fire unearthed from seasons of championships past and whipped an Ateneo team that had been undefeated in the last 24 games dating back to 2014, needing just three sets, 25-22, 25-14, 25-18, to pull off the stunner.

“As a senior, I wanted to show my younger teammates that we should not fear them,” said La Salle veteran Mika Reyes, who gave Ateneo star—and on- and off-court rival—Alyssa Valdez a second-set staredown after an emphatic block that rocked the 16,536-strong crowd at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

It was the first time Valdez, already heralded as probably the best female volleyball player of all-time, looked human in the UAAP, which has been her stomping ground since joining the league.

It took more than just meticulous preparations to undo the momentum Ateneo rode into this highly anticipated match between the two rivals, revealed La Salle coach Ramil de Jesus.

“We knew that Ateneo’s confidence was very high, so I told them that we can’t step in the court thinking that we’re at a disadvantage,” said De Jesus.

“The plan was really to bring the confidence back, which we lost for quite a time because some of our players came from injuries. We also wanted to get back the respect of our opponents.”

The Lady Spikers, runner-up to Ateneo in the last two seasons, demolished the Lady Eagles at all fronts with Kim Fajardo impressively serving seven aces in a 13-point performance.

“They’re No. 1 in attacks, but they’re not good at reception,” De Jesus said of the Lady Eagles, who also had MVP Valdez tallying her lowest output of 11 markers.

Ara Galang and Mary Joy Baron added 10 points each for the Lady Spikers, who led a whopping 12 points, 20-8, in the second set before rallying from an early deficit, 10-14, in the next frame.

The Lady Eagles kept the No. 1 spot at 6-1, but the Lady Spikers (5-1) have a chance to tie them on top with a win versus University of Santo Tomas at the end of the first round on Wednesday.

LA SALLE celebrates putting an end to Ateneo’s run. AUGUST DELA CRUZ

“It’s hard,” said Valdez after the Lady Eagles dropped their bid for a first-round sweep. “But it’s extra motivation and inspiration to train and do better.”

“It was a good run for us,” Valdez said of the team-record streak. “We’ll try to do our best to make another one.”

Adamson also wrapped up the first round with a victory over winless University of the East, 25-22, 25-22, 25-19, in the other match.

Jessica Galanza fired all of her 15 points off attacks to lead the Lady Falcons, who settled with a 3-4 card.