UAAP women’s volleyball: Soriano, Pineda deliver as Adamson nips Ateneo

MANILA, Philippines—Pau Soriano and Sheila Pineda took charge late in the game as Adamson subdued Alyssa Valdez and Ateneo,  25-21, 25-22, 19-25, 16-25, 15-10, Sunday in the 75th UAAP women’s volleyball tournament Sunday at the Arena in San Juan city.

Veteran Soriano and emerging star Pineda conspired for the Lady Falcons’ last three points to seal their fifth victory and a shared third spot in the standings as the second round continues.

After being dragged once more to a fifth set by the Lady Eagles, it was the Lady Falcons who steadied down this time, thanks to Soriano’s kill and Pineda’s back-to-back service aces to notch their third straight win.

“It’s a big win because we moved closer to number two,” said Adamson coach Sherwin Meneses in Filipino. “The floor defense is already there, but we still have to work on our blocking.”

Pineda finished with 19 points, including back-to-back service winners in the final set, while Mayette Zapanta added 15 points and Soriano 14 for the Lady Falcons.

The Lady Eagles absorbed their second setback despite a record-breaking performance of Valdez, who fired 35 big hits to set a new league record in most points scored in a game.

Ateneo, though, remained in second place (6-2) behind league-pacing, defending champion La Salle (7-1).

Earlier, Marie Toni Basas played another career game under returning coach Kid Santos as Far Eastern University opened its second-round campaign with a 25-14, 25-22, 25-15 win over University of the East.

Basas finished with a personal-best 17 points, including three aces, for the Lady Tamaraws, who have won three straight since Santos took over the coaching reins from Nes Pamilar.

FEU improved to 4-4 and tied with National University.

Shiesa Nebrida and Sarina Bulan combined for 17 hits for the Lady Warriors, who stayed winless in the competition reeling to their eighth straight loss.