Sweet was the revenge for Ateneo de Manila University, sweeping first round tormentor University of Santo Tomas, Tuesday noon.
And middle blockers Joan Narit and AC Miner played huge roles in the Blue Eagles’ 25-20, 25-20, 25-20 crushing of the Golden Tigresses at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
In their first round marathon encounter last May 19, UST sneaked past Ateneo 25-19, 25-21, 29-31, 33-31.
For head coach Oliver Almadro, it’s just about time that his quickers finally get the recognition they deserve.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment na itong dalawang ito makilala or madistinguish naman na they are really working hard,” said Almadro.
Narit delivered 11 points on nine attacks and two blocks, a performance that earned her the player of the game honors.
Meanwhile, Miner continued her steady play with eight points including a clutch block on UST leader Eya Laure down the stretch of the all-important third set.
But Narit, despite the POG award, wanted to share the credit with all her teammates.
“As someone na pumapasok at lumalabas sa court, I saw the trust that we had even if someone misses something, there’s always someone who got their back,” said Narit.
“We trust the system that Coach O gave us. It’s all about trust and really fighting until the end.”
The Ateneo faithful can continue to expect steady games from Miner, as her confidence remains to be at a high, especially with her crucial block against the league’s top scorer Laure in the Blue Eagles’ game-closing 7-2 blast.
And with the race to the Final Four in the middle of the standings shaping to be a slugfest between Adamson University (5-4), Ateneo (5-5), and University of the Philippines (4-5), expect more of that from the UAAP Season 82 girls’ volleyball tournament 1st Best Middle Blocker.
“Syempre parang ma-block si Ate Eya, the top scorer in the league, it really boosts my confidence as a rookie,” said Miner.
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