MANILA, Philippines—Adamson turned an expected tight showdown into a rout as the Lady Falcons walloped the San Sebastian-Excelroof Lady Stags in straight sets on Thursday to bag the Season 7 Second Conference championship, their second in the Shakey’s V-League, at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan.
Finals Most Valuable Player Nerissa Bautista delivered 17 points, while Pau Soriano and Angela Benting tossed 13 points each, as the Lady Falcons fashioned out a 26-24, 25-17, 25-16 triumph in the winner-take-all Game 3.
Benting delivered the game-winning hit, a down-the-line spike, that sent the Adamson gallery into a frenzy.
Jumping in glee, the Lady Falcons circled the court as they duplicated the feat they achieved in the first conference two seasons ago.
The Lady Stags walked to their dugout, crestfallen after suffering their sixth defeat in the finals.
The Lady Falcons made it look so easy, putting up a virtual wall at the net to frustrate the Lady Stags and coast to victory in just 69 minutes.
“We were disciplined and well-prepared, that’s why we were confident to win the title,” said Adamson coach Dulce Pante.
“This win is definitely sweeter because we won the title in a Game 3,” added Pante, when asked to compare the victory with their last triumph two years ago over Ateneo.
The Lady Falcons thus joined University of Santo Tomas and La Salle as the only teams with at least two titles. UST, which took a leave of absence in thetournament, has six crowns while La Salle owns three.
For the Lady Stags and their prized Thai import Jeng Bualee, it was another forgettable end to what was another promising start.
San Sebastian failed to make the opportunity count again, losing in the finals for the sixth time in seven stints. Bualee was not around when the Lady Stags won their only title in the second conference of Season 5.
Veteran international campaigner Michelle Laborte, getting a new lease on her career after several disappointing stints with other teams, finished with 10 points for the Lady Falcons, while rookie Sheena Gail Martin added six points.
“It feels so good to finally win one here,” said Laborte, fighting back tears of joy. Laborte had stints with Ateneo, Lyceum and University of St. La Salle, before she was tapped by Pante to reinforce Adamson.
San Sebastian hardly put up a challenge in the third set as the Lady Falcons again put emphasis on blocking, a facet of their game that had brought them success in the tournament.
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