[UAAP volleyball] Lady Eagles sweep Lady Warriors, move one win away from elims sweep

Despite a major hiccup in the third set, the Ateneo Lady Eagles pulled the necessary stops as they earned a hard-fought straight sets win against the struggling UE Lady Warriors, 25-22, 25-17, 26-24, at the Filoil Flying V Arena Sunday afternoon.

Alyssa Valdez led the Lady Eagles with 14 points and 8 digs while Amy Ahomiro and Ella De Jesus both chipped in 10 points apiece. In addition, Julia Morado had 6 points and 2 blocks.

On the other hand, UE team captain Shaya Adorador notched a game-high 17 points and 7 digs while veteran Leuseht Dawis had 8 points and 2 blocks.

“Hindi naman maiiwasan na maging complacent after getting two wins [in the first two sets],” said Ateneo team captain Valdez. “Iyon ang naging mindset ng team namin dahil naging too relaxed. We’re too relaxed and puro errors din.”

This win extends Ateneo’s league-best record to 13-0 while UE still resides at the bottom of the standings with a 0-13 record. If the Lady Eagles sweep the elimination round, with the other three teams in the Final Four undergoing a stepladder format, they will have an automatic entry to the championship round along with a thrice-to-beat advantage.

Ateneo will have their much-awaited rematch, and also their last match of the elimination round, with the De La Salle Lady Spikers this February 18 at the Mall of Asia Arena while UE shall host the UST Golden Tigresses this February 21 at the Filoil Flying V Arena.

“Ang mindset ng team namin is one game at a time. Hindi naman inexpect na ganito kabilis ang second round,” added Valdez. “Kailangan namin maging prepared [for La Salle] this coming February 18.”

The scores:

ADMU (3) – Valdez 14, Ahomiro 10, De Jesus 10, Morado 6, Morente 5, Madayag 3, Maraguinot 2, Lazaro (L) 0.

UE (0) – Adorador 17, Dawis 8, Dacaymat 4, Baliton 4, Bendong 3, Juanillo 2, Nebrea 1 Alcayde 1, Abil 0, Manansala 0, Arado (L) 0.