The Ateneo De Manila University Lady Eagles spent more time warming up than they did handing the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws a straight-sets loss 25-17, 25-10, 25-20 in the UAAP Women’s Volleyball Tournament at the FilOil Flying V Centre.
The first two sets turned into romps quickly. FEU had burned both of their timeouts trying to stop an Ateneo run that turned into a 2-12 hole. FEU brought the deficit down to seven several times, but Ateneo doused their runs easily. The Lady Eagles then inflated a 12-9 lead in the second set to a monstrous 22-9 advantage, thanks to smart serving from Jhoana Maraguinot.
Getting a tongue lashing from their coaching staff, FEU played with more energy in the third set. Seeing their four-point lead trimmed to two, 22-20, Ateneo did not need to lift a finger to end the match as FEU threw away three late errors.
Reigning MVP Alyssa Valdez tallied a game-high 20 points, while Jho Maraguinot added 10 markers. No FEU player reached double-digits.
After the match, Valdez was happy overall with the way her team played, but she knows that there is always room to improve. “We’re just really happy that lahat nagperform ng maayos, even though there are still things we can improve on.”
Both squads will have their next match on Saturday at the PhilSports Arena. Ateneo (8-2) will face the University of Santo Tomas (4-5) at 2 p.m. while FEU (5-5) take on the National University (5-5) at 4 p.m.
The Scores
ADMU (3) – Valdez 20, Maraguinot 10, Ahomiro 3, De Leon 3, Madayag 3, Morado 3, Gequillana 2, Gaston 0, Tan (L)
FEU (0) – Basas 8, Pons 7, Guino-O 5, Malabanan 4, Palma 4, Cayuna 3, Sy 1, Dionela 0, Hernandez 0, Villareal 0, Duremdes (L), Atienza (L)
