In front of a handful of TIP fans in a frigid Philsports Arena, one of the biggest upsets in Shakey’s V-League history happened.
The unsung group of Technological Institute of the Philippines Lady Engineers took the biggest game of their program’s history, upending UAAP powerhouse Ateneo De Manila University Lady Eagles 26-24, 14-25, 25-21, 18-25, 15-12 in the Shakey’s V-League Collegiate Conference at the Philsports Arena.
TIP guest player Mylene Paat led the way with 14 points, 10 coming from kills and a couple from blocks and aces, while Eunice Mabbayad added nine markers.
The Lady Engineers took full advantage of Ateneo’s miscues in the first set, staying close and netting a late flourish to seal the win. Forcing a deuce, TIP caught a break, coaxing an error from Ateneo then getting an ace from Sheika Espinosa to clinch the first set. With the arrival of Ateneo legend Alyssa Valdez to the venue, the Lady Eagles mustered a magnificent second set rally. Ateneo plastered TIP with an 7-0 run that led to an insurmountable 20-11 advantage.
TIP responded in the third set, rattling off a 6-0 run for a 16-7 lead. The Lady Eagles brought the deficit down to one, 18-19, thanks to Michelle Morente’s good serving. But Ateneo could not limit their errors and ended up handing the Lady Engineers the set.
Pushed to a corner, the Lady Eagles became stingier with their errors. Needing the fourth set to extend the match, the Lady Eagles toughed out long rallies and squeaked past the Lady Engineers after two aces from Morente and a TIP error ended the set.
The fifth set looked to in Ateneo’s favor until their reception faltered and they started giving away errors. The Lady Eagles watched as their 10-8 lead dwindled and TIP racked up points until they took the match in a 7-1 blitz.
“Actually, hindi akong ganoong kasaya. Masaya akong nanalo. Kung titignan mo, puro bata ang players ng Ateneo may mga kulang pa,” head coach Boy Pail said about the win. “Sa make up talaga ng team namin at sa nilaro namin kanina, marami pang kulang.”
Sophomore converted open hitter Ponggay Gaston notched a game-high 17 points while Mich Morente managed 16 points. Ateneo produced more points off scoring skills but gave up 52 errors that dragged them to the loss.
The Lady Eagles were without Jo Maraguinot and Bea de Leon for the game. The two were nursing minor injuries.
The TIP Lady Engineers (A, 0-1) will next face another collegiate powerhouse, the National University Lady Bulldogs, on Monday, August 8 at 4:00pm. The Lady Eagles (A, 0-1), on the other hand, face the San Sebastian Lady Stags (A, 1-0) on Saturday, August 6 at 6:00pm.
The Scores:
TIP (3) – Paat 14, Mabayao 9, Layug 7, Maturan 5, Fidel 4, Saet 4, Espinosa 3, Openiano (L), Guantero (L), Opp errors 52
ADMU (2) – Gaston 17, Morente 16, Gequillana 13, Gopico 10, Morado 7, Samonte 7, Lavitoria 0, Wong 0, Tan (L), Lo (L), Opp errors 37
