Ken Koo | FCF
In front of 12,763 strong at the Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday afternoon, De La Salle University made quick work of their finals rematch in the penultimate playing date of the UAAP Season 76 women’s volleyball tournament.
The Lady Spikers notch their 22nd straight win via a three set rout of Ateneo de Manila University, 25-16, 25-20, 25-16, their sixth straight in this season’s tournament without dropping a set.
Left without one of their top blockers in Ana Gopingco, Ateneo was left with second stringer Mary Mae Tajima and top 10 blocker Amy Ahomiro to take up the cudgels against the tall frontliners of La Salle, which included the game’s best player in Mika Reyes.
Reyes led La Salle’s scoring, finishing with 13 points including six blocks. Ara Galang added 10 points.
Despite the dominant performance, the Lady Spikers committed 26 errors during the match, 22 of which coming from the last two sets, and barely kept their rivals from Katipunan in the game.
De La Salle Head Coach Ramil de Jesus, who gave an admission that he did not know what to expect from Ateneo’s lineup since they have not faced them since their March showdown for the Season 75 title, said that there is still more room for adjustments for his young wards.
“Wala kasing tinatawag na ‘perfect game.’ Okay naman ‘yun kasi may room pa para ma-improve ‘yung players tsaka ang team,” De Jesus said.
Leading the Lady Eagles’ cause was skipper Alyssa Valdez with 11 points.
The loss drops Ateneo to third place with a 5-2 record, snapping their five-game winning run.
Ken Koo | FCF
In the first game, National University relied on a balanced scoring attack to foil Adamson University in an epic two-hour match in four sets, 26-28, 25-21, 30-28, 25-20.
Carmin Aganon compiled a well-rounded game, scoring 14 of her 15 on attacks with 12 digs. Rookie Jaja Santiago, who shined during their pivotal third set win, added 14 points on 10 attacks and four blocks.
