Ateneo pips FEU, forges V-L title tiff with Nat’l U

ATENEO exploited Far Eastern U’s collapse late in the fourth set to prevail, 25-23, 24-26, 25-19, 25-23, Wednesday and seal a second consecutive championship showdown with National University in the Shakey’s V-League Collegiate Conference.

Kim Gequillana and Bea de Leon pummeled the Lady Tamaraws with a combined output of 26 attack points for the Lady Eagles, who clawed their way from a huge hole in the deciding frame to end the series.

The Lady Eagles won the best-of-three series opener, 25-14, 28-26, 25-22, early this week before they replicated the Lady Bulldogs’ sweep of the University of the Philippines in the other Final Four encounter.

Skipper Michelle Morente, Ana Gopico, Julia Morado, Julianne Samonte and Pauline Gaston also shone for Ateneo, which aims to reverse a losing trend against the Bulldogs.

NU defeated Alyssa Valdez and the Lady Eagles in the finals of the same conference last year for its second collegiate title in the league supported by Accel as official outfitter and Mikasa as official ball.

Jaja Santiago sparkled for the Lady Bulldogs earlier in their 21-25, 25-10, 27-25, 25-21 triumph over the Lady Maroons.

Game 1 of the best-of-three series kicks off Monday.

With Valdez cheering her former team from the sidelines, the Lady Eagles erased a six-point deficit in the fourth, preventing the Tams from sending the match to a fifth set.

De Leon had 20 hits, Morente added 15 while Gequillana and Gopica scored 12 and 10 points each.

The top-seeded Lady Tams lost one of their best hitters after Bernadeth Pons suffered an ankle injury during the pre-game warmups in Game 1.