Games Monday
(Philsports Arena)
10 a.m. – La Salle vs UST (S Turf)
12 noon – Ateneo vs NU (S Turf)
4 p.m. – UP vs FEU (best-of-3)
6 p.m. – Ateneo vs NU (best-of-3)
Ateneo ousts FEU, sets up title showdown with NU.
Ateneo rallied from a big deficit in the fourth set then pounced on Far Eastern U’s meltdown to post a 25-23, 24-26, 25-19, 25-23 victory late Wednesday and seal a second straight showdown with National U for the Shakey’s V-League Collegiate Conference crown at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
Bea de Leon and Kim Gequillana stepped up and combined for 26 attack points while skipper Michelle Morente, Ana Gopico, Julia Morado, Julianne Samonte and Pauline Gaston backed them up with superb all-around games to clinch the victory for the over-achieving Lady Eagles.
Ateneo, which also took the series’ opener, 25-14, 28-26, 25-22, last Monday, thus matched NU’s sweep of University of the Philippines in their side of the Final Four to arrange another face-off for the mid-season conference title of Season 13 of the league sponsored by Shakey’s.
The Lady Bulldogs frustrated the then Alyssa Valdez-led Lady Eagles in a rubber match to nail their second collegiate crown in the league backed by Mikasa as official ball and Accel as official outfitter.
Game One of the best-of-three title series will start on Monday, along with Game Two of the Spikers’ Turf Season 2 Collegiate Conference Finals, according to the organizing Sports Vision.
With Valdez firing up her former teammates from the sidelines, the Lady Eagles battled back from six-points down in the fourth to foil the Lady Tams from sending the match to a fifth set.
De Leon turned in a solid outing and finished with 20 hits while Morente, now taking the lead role for a depleted, young squad, put in a 15-point game and Gequillana added 12 markers and Gopico chipped in 10 points.
Though the finals will be an entirely different series, the Lady Eagles have proven their worth.