The Ateneo-Motolite Lady Eagles remain atop the Premier Volleyball League Open Conference standings, stumping the Tacloban Fighting Warays, 25-19, 25-21, 21-25, 25-19, at the FilOil Flying V Centre.
Ateneo hit a wall in the third set, losing their solid form and allowing Tacloban to extend the match to a fourth set.
Down 11-14 in the fourth set, Ateneo rattled off a 9-1 run to grab the lead and momentum. Tacloban made a last ditch run, coming within two, 21-19, before Kat Tolentino swept up three of the match’s last four points to punctuate Ateneo’s win.
“As I keep saying, every game is a learning experience for us. Today was a good learning experience for us,” said Ateneo head coach Oliver Almadro.
“We still really have to polish our execution, but we’re happy with our team’s effort and what we’ve been showing so far,” the decorated Ateneo mentor added.
Middle blockers Maddie Madayag and Bea De Leon led Ateneo, managing 14 and 13 points respectively. Rookie Vanie Gandler added 11 markers.
Open hitter Heather Guino-O topped the Fighting Warays with 16 points, while Dimdim Pacres added 13.
Ateneo (8-2) next take on the Iriga-Navy Oragons (3-7) tomorrow, while Tacloban (4-6) will face the Creamline Cool Smashers (7-2) on Wednesday. Both games will be at the same venue.
The Scores
Ateneo-Motolite (3) – Madayag 14, De Leon 13, Gandler 11, Tolentino 10, Samonte 8, Wong 8, Gaston 4, Gequillana 3, Maraguinot 0, Peralta (L), Ravena (L)
Tacloban (1) – Guino-O 16, Pacres 13, Esguerra 9, Bicar 7, Delos Reyes 2, Marzan 2, Negrito 0, Velez 0, Luzon (L)
