Lady Eagles thwart Adamson tossers, gain V-League semis

ALYSSA Valdez sparked Ateneo’s strong finish as the Lady Eagles turned back the Adamson Lady Falcons, 25-22, 25-14, 20-25, 25-22, yesterday to claim the first semifinal berth in the Shakey’s V-League at Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

Valdez scored five of her 19 points in the fourth set, including a tip-in, before a pair of Adamson lapses allowed Ateneo to wrap up the victory.

Thai import Phee Nok Kesinee shared scoring honors with Valdez with 19 points and Angeline Gervacio added 13 for the Lady Eagles, who stayed unbeaten at 5-0.

Earlier, Patty Orendain posted 30 points to lead University of St. La Salle of Bacolod past National University, 25-12, 21-25, 20-25, 25-23, 15-2.

“It’s a good thing Orendain was effective late in the game,” said St. La Salle coach Roger Banzuela whose Lady Stingers held the Lady Bulldogs to just a couple of points in the deciding frame. “We were able to adjust in the fourth as I put Jovelyn (Gonzaga) in utility and moved Royce (Quijano) to the front.”

The Lady Stingers, who also leaned on Quijano’s solid defense, improved to 1-3.  They must sweep their last two games and hope that either Perpetual Help or San Sebastian won’t win more than three games each to force a playoff for the last spot.

The Lady Falcons fell to 1-4 even with Nerissa Bautista firing 18 points and Pau Soriano and Shiela Pineda combining for 25.  With a report from Jan Edward B. Ballesteros, Contributor