Ateneo belles win
Games on April 4 (The Arena, San Juan City) 8 a.m. – NU vs UP (Men’s) 10 a.m. – La Salle vs Adamson (Men’s) 2 p.m. – UST vs Ateneo (Women’s) 4 p.m. – NU vs UP (Women’s)
Ateneo displayed its experience at crunch time as it outplayed feisty Adamson, 24-26, 25-19, 25-23, 24-26, 15-12, yesterday to earn at least a playoff for a Final Four berth in UAAP women’s volleyball at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Failing to close it out in the fourth frame, the Lady Eagles quickly cruised to a 10-5 lead in the decider and never looked back.
The win improved Ateneo to 8-3, cementing its hold of second and moving a win away from joining rival La Salle into the next round.
Deanna Wong spelled the difference for the Lady Eagles by providing variety of plays, finishing with 63 excellent sets.
Adamson fell to 5-6, but still remained in semifinal contention as it resides at solo fifth.
Although Ateneo lorded it over at the attack line, 57-50, Adamson managed more blocks, 16-11, and service aces, 8-7.
But the Lady Eagles were more efficient when it mattered most.
In men’s play, Adamson exploited National University’s erratic plays to post a stunning 25-23, 25-19, 25-16 win.
The Falcons exposed the Bulldogs’ weak reception and banked on spikers Leo Miranda and Paolo Pablico to pick up their fifth win against six losses and stay in the Final Four hunt.