Lady Eagles target semis bonus vs Maroons

MANILA, Philippines - Defending champion Ateneo guns for its 10th straight victory and a Final Four incentive today as it clashes with University of the Philippines in the UAAP Season 77 women’s volleyball tournament at the Filoil Flying V Arena.

The Lady Eagles take the court at 2 p.m. against a Lady Maroons side (4-5) that has proven to be dangerous despite playing without ACL-hit top blocker Kathy Bersola.

“They (UP) work as a team naman. Sobrang galing din ng adjustment nila (They really adjust well),” said skipper Alyssa Valdez.

In their first-round meeting, the Lady Maroons stretched Ateneo to the limit before yielding a 25-18, 22-25, 25-20, 15-25, 15-10 verdict and the Lady Eagles are bracing for the same grind-it-out game for Round 2.

The Ateneans also went through the wringer in their most recent outing, surviving a tough Adamson crew, 25-21, 17-25, 25-14, 22-25, 15-10, with Valdez firing 30 points.

Second-running La Salle (8-1), meanwhile, seeks to formalize its entry into the semifinals as it takes on skidding National U (4-5) in the 4 p.m. main match.

The Lady Spikers have bounced back from their setback to rival Ateneo at the end of the first round, winning their next two assignments and unloading new offensive threats to backstop star Ara Galang.

Christine Soyud, a converted outside hitter, made her mark last time, scoring 16 in a 25-27, 25-20, 25-23, 25-10 disposal of UP last Sunday.

The Lady Bulldogs, in contrast, have fallen to a slump as they dropped their last two games, including a 22-25, 19-25, 18-25 setback to Santo Tomas.

But DLSU coach Ramil de Jesus cautioned his wards against complacency versus the Roger Gorayeb-mentored team.

“Yung NU kahit na galing sa talo yan maganda rin naman yung ginagalaw so dapat pag-aralan namin ng husto (Even if NU’s been losing, they’re still a threat and we need to be prepared against them,” de Jesus said.