Ateneo vs La Salle for UAAP volleyball lead

Games Today (MOA Arena) 8 a.m. – FEU vs UST (men’s) 10 a.m. – La Salle vs Ateneo (men’s) 2 p.m. – FEU vs UST (women’s) 4 p.m. – La Salle vs Ateneo (women’s)

Lifetime bitter rivals La Salle and Ateneo go separate ways today as they break a share of the lead in the UAAP women’s volleyball tournament when they meet in what many believe will be a preview of the league championship.

The title series will be a long way off but with their history of leaving everything on the floor in each of their encounters, the game set at 2 p.m. at the Mall of Asia Arena, is expected to be another smashing encounter.

Adding drama to the match is that both teams are on top of the standings at 5-1 and the winner will grab the solo lead besides gaining the psychological advantage heading into the coming games.

La Salle is riding on a three-game winning streak, scoring wins over University of the East, Adamson, and National University, while Ateneo boasts of a four-game winning run beating Far Eastern University, Adamson, University of the East, and University of the Philippines in that order.

Ateneo has lost its heart and soul Alyssa Valdez who graduated, but apparently not its fighting spirit and showed it when it beat UP to halt the Lady Maroons’ four-game win streak, 25-14, 25-19, 25-21.

This will also be the first meeting between the two popular squads since Ateneo lost to La Salle in last year’s finals. Needless to say, Ateneo is also seeking redemption.

Ateneo skipper Jia Morado, who currently leads the Best Setter race, is expected to provide guidance to Lady Eagles Bea De Leon, Kat Tolentino, Maddie Madayag, and Jho Maraguinot.

But La Salle also boasts of an equally deep lineup bannered by its own veteran setter in Kim Fajardo and powerful spikers Kim Dy and Joy Baron.

“Ipapakita namin na we have a heart of the champion and show our A-game and our consistency,” said Dy, last year’s Finals MVP.

One more spice in today’s contest is that Ateneo as a team leads the race for Best Spiker, while La Salle is currently the Best Blocker.

In the other game, Far Eastern University (FEU) and University of Santo Tomas (UST) collide at 2 p.m. to follow up their respective big victories last Wednesday.