Lady Eagles claw NU Bulldogs in Game One

MANILA, Philippines - Ateneo used its experience and showed championship poise to baffle National U as it fashioned out a surprisingly one-sided 25-15, 25-22, 25-23 victory to move within a win from completing a three-peat in the Shakey’s V-League Season 10 First Conference before a sellout crowd at the MOA Arena last night.

The Lady Eagles neutralized the Lady Bulldogs’ vaunted power game with a solid net defense anchored on Marge Tejada and Amy Ahomiro while drawing a balanced offensive attack from Jeng Bualee and Rachel Ann Daquis to post the sweep in the opener of their best-of-three series.

“I’ve been training her (Ahomiro) for a long time now and I know she’s a good player even though she’s coming from an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injury,” said Ateneo coach Roger Gorayeb in Filipino.

Bualee and Daquis ended up with identical 14 hits while Ahomiro, Alyssa Valdez, Fille Cainglet, Tejada and Jem Ferrer combined for 24 points for the defending back-to-back champions.

Gorayeb also silenced Ateneo’s critics who predicted a straight set win by NU, owing to the Lady Bulldogs strong showing heading to the Finals.

“In my long coaching career I never underestimated any team that’s why we were challenged when we heard they’re going to sweep us,” said Gorayeb, who came up with a new combination, putting in Ahomiro and Tejada right from the start while keeping Valdez out for the entire first set.

The Lady Bulldogs, who dominated the field from the elims to the quarters and the semis, including a straight-set win over the Lady Eagles in the quarters last May 5, simply failed to get going when put on the big stage with Rubie de Leon, winner of the conference’s Best Setter award, struggling with just 18 successful sets after averaging 7.9 per set heading into the series.

“I don’t know about them (Lady Bulldogs) but the girls (Lady Eagles) played with a championship heart,” said Gorayeb,

Dindin Santiago, who earlier led NU’s domination of the conference’s top awards, including the coveted MVP and the Best Scorer honors, struggled for seven hits with Aiko Urdas emerging as the top scorer with just nine points.

Myla Pablo, named the conference’s Best Attacker, could only come up with seven kills and one block.

The Lady Eagles shoot for the clincher on Sunday starting at 3 p.m., also at the MOA Arena, in Game Two which will be aired live on GMA News TV Channel 11, according to the organizing Sports Vision.

Earlier, National U took most of the individual awards in the league’s season-opening conference sponsored by Shakey’s with Jen Reyes also winning the Best Digger honors. Ateneo copped the Best Receiver award for Thai guest player Jaroensri Bualee while top hitter Alyssa Valdez won the Best Server awards.