UAAP volleyball: Ateneo stays hot, survives Adamson in thriller

FILE – Ateneo Lady Eagles. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

As the race for the Final Four gets tougher, Ateneo held on to the second spot after surviving Adamson University in a thriller, 24-26, 25-19, 21-25, 26-24, 15-12 in the UAAP Season 80 women’s volleyball tournament Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Lady Eagles streaked to their fourth straight win for an 8-3 record and  foilied the Lady Falcons’ bid to force a tie with National U, which lost in the opening game, at the fourth spot. Adamson slid to 5-6, still a game behind.

On the brink of defeat, Ateneo came back from seven points down, 22-15, in the fourth set and frustrated Adamson, which is in a crucial run for a Final Four berth, to force the decider.
“Every time coach Tai [Bundit] calls a timeout, he just tells us to be happy and we need to play happy because if we don’t we’re going to lose for sure,” said captain Maddie Madayag in Filipino.

“If we’re not enjoying the game, it’s like we’re playing for nothing and I guess we got our composure back after all the errors and all the miscommunication.”

The Lady Eagles continued cranking up the ante in the fifth set stopping the Lady Falcons late in the period.

Ateneo saw its 11-6 lead dissipate and turn into an 11-11 tie, but the Lady Eagles were quick to get back on track with Jhoana Maraguinot scoring on a crosscourt kill for the 14-12 lead.

Kat Tolentino then met Mylene Paat up top for an emphatic block to clinch at least a playoff for the last spot in the Final Four.

Maraguinot finished with a game-high 23 points to lead the Lady Eagles while Tolentino finished with 17 points.

Jules Samonte and Bea De Leon also finished in double digits with 12 and 11 points, respectively.

Jema Galanza had 23 points to lead the Lady Falcons while Paat added 17 points.

RELATED VIDEO