Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—If other teams think that Ateneo would slack off after clinching a Final Four spot, the rest of the league should’ve thought otherwise.
The Lady Eagles hold the best record in the UAAP Season 81 women’s volleyball tournament at 10-1 after brushing off National University 25-14, 24-26, 25-17, 25-19, Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Ateneo was also the first team in the tournament to clinch a spot to the big dance but co-captain Maddie Madayag said the Lady Eagles have no plans of letting up.
“First and foremost we shouldn’t be complacent because it’s not part of our character and we don’t want to show that just because we’re part of the Final Four we’re going to go easy on them,” said Madayag in Filipino.
NU stunned Ateneo in the second set and also had its moments in the third and fourth sets where it refused to fold.
Ultimately, it was the rookie-laden Lady Bulldogs’ inexperience that decided the match when Ivy Lacsina’s final attempt sailed beyond the baseline.
“I think it’s a good learning experience, we started a bit slow and losing the second set was just a reminder that we can’t take any team lightly and we have to challenge ourselves,” said Kat Tolentino, who finished with 13 points.
“We have just have to always win convincingly and we’ll learn from this,” added Tolentino.
Madayag, who had 12 points against the Lady Bulldogs, said that it’s imperative for the Lady Eagles to finish the tournament’s elimination round on a strong note so they could build momentum heading into the semifinals.
“We have to finish strong in these final games and hopefully we can still improve on our game like minimize our errors,” said Madayag.