Martin San Diego | FCF
De La Salle University and National University, both seen as the top two contenders this season, garnered straight-set wins in the UAAP Season 76 women’s volleyball opener on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Lady Spikers, who lost key players Michelle Gumabao and Melissa Gohing, finished with a 25-14, 25-22, 25-19 scoreline in the day’s featured contest.
But the road for the three-time defending champions was rocky, as they squandered huge leads in the last two sets before closing out each with a flurry over the relatively inexperienced Lady Falcons.
Ara Galang scored a team-leading 16 points, 13 of which coming from attacks. Mika Reyes had 12, followed by Abigail Maraño’s 11.
“The team was a bit overconfident after the first set win,” shared head coach Ramil de Jesus following the game. “(By) the last set, it was a mixture of exhaustion and hunger. So, our energy went down in the end.”
Amanda Villanueva made an impressive debut for Adamson, finishing with 15 points in the loss.
RELATED: DLSU vs ADU Game Photos
Martin San Diego | FCF
Earlier, the Lady Bulldogs showed off their towering duo of the Santiago sisters in their 25-17, 25-22, 25-17 rout of Ateneo de Manila University.
Team skipper Dindin Santiago dominated the scoring with 14 of her 18 points off attacks. Younger sister Jaja Santiago, together with last season’s top rookie Myla Pablo, each added eight points.
“We are satisfied (with the result of today’s game), but we have to improve our service-receive and floor defense,” shared newly-appointed head coach Edjet Mabbayad, who gets his first UAAP win with the Lady Bulldogs.
Ateneo captain Alyssa Valdez led Ateneo with 16 points, while Amy Ahomiro added eight points in a losing effort for the debuting Thai head coach Anusorn Bundit.
On the other hand, NU defeated DLSU in three sets, 25-16, 25-15, 25-20, to open their title defense in the men’s division.
RELATED: NU vs ADMU Game Photos
