Lady Eagles soar
Ateneo recovered from a stinging loss five days back as it dismantled a hapless Adamson, 25-13, 25-13, 25-11, yesterday to secure at least a playoff for the twice-to-beat Final Four incentive in the UAAP women’s volleyball tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Still reeling from a five-set loss to the National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs that halted their eight-game winning run, the Lady Eagles displayed their old form and dominated the Lady Falcons all throughout the match.
It was Ateneo’s 10th win against two losses as it grabbed the solo lead anew despite the absence of head coach Tai Bundit, who flew back home to Thailand to attend to personal matters.
Ateneo assistant coach Sherwin Meneses shuffled his stalwarts and gave his bench players some playing minutes that resulted to 10 players scoring for the Katipunan-based squad.
Kim Gequillana led the Lady Eagles with 11 points, while Michelle Morente and Jia Morado added seven and six points apiece.
Adamson played without main player Jema Galanza, who was advised to rest after collapsing in Thursday’s match due to fatigue.
Without Galanza, the Lady Falcons struggled in their attacks as they managed only 12 kills. They also displayed their weak serve by managing only one ace compared to the Lady Eagles’ 10.
Joy Dacoron topscored for the Lady Falcons with eight points built on five kills and three blocks, but had little assistance from her teammates. Only four others scored for Adamson: Fatima Joaquin and Jane Dahab with three points each, Bernadette Flora with two, and Anwarlyn Mohammad with one point.