Work in progress: Lady Eagles still working on maturity, consistency

MANILA, Philippines—It’s going to be a process for Ateneo in the UAAP Season 81 women’s volleyball tournament.

The Lady Eagles had another shaky end game performance, but this time they were able to pick up a 25-21, 25-18, 16-25, 25-22 first win over University of Santo Tomas in the UAAP Season 81 women’s volleyball tournament Wednesday.

Maddie Madayag and Kat Tolentino, two of Ateneo’s leaders this year, admitted the team is still a work in progress.

“I think the game was a good show of our character towards the end and it’s just that we couldn’t finish the game,” said Tolentino, who led Ateneo’s offense with 22 points. “Our team needs to work on that for the coming games.”

Madayag, who is also the co-captain behind Bea De Leon, lauded the Lady Eagles’s composure amidst UST’s desperate rally in the fourth set but she also acknowledged that the team could do better.

The Lady Eagles held a 23-18 lead in the fourth set but the Golden Tigresses trimmed the deficit to just one after three straight points from Eya Laure, Cherry Rondina, and Milena Allesandrini while also getting a free point due to Jules Samonte’s error.

Tolentino, though, pushed UST back with a resounding down the line kill that bounced off Rondina’s reception for Ateneo’s 24-22 lead.

“We’re very happy we were able to recover and we showed somewhat how we want to play, but I saw that we still lack a lot intangibles inside the court and that’s what we need to work on,” said Madayag, who had 15 points, in Filipino. “I wish we can become more consistent in the future.”

Tolentino added her team allowing UST to make a comeback in the third showed their immaturity in handling a big lead down the stretch.

“In the fourth set we were up and I guess it shows our complacency but it also shows that we have the ability to bounce back and re-focus,” said Tolentino. “We’re still learning on building our character.”