Lady Eagles live, force sudden death

Champs take 5-set thriller over Lady Spikers

MANILA, Philippines – Reeling from its agonizing defeat in Game One  via sweep and down two sets in the second showdown, Ateneo’s Lady Eagles did what they do best in the clutch of impending defeat – they leaned on their “heart strong” and called on Alyssa Valdez.

They dug deep for a liberal dose of will, desire and ”heart strong” and went on to frustrate their bitter rivals who were in control in the first two sets only to succumb on the Lady Eagles’ fightback before 20,541 fans and forced sudden death, 18-25, 26-28, 25-17, 25-16, 15-11, this Saturday in the UAAP women’s volleyball at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Valdez, who is playing on her final year with the Lady Eagles, drew tremendous support from Jhoanna Maraguinot and Amy Ahomiro as they sparked a big comeback after losing the second set, squandering four crucial points as the Lady Spikers rallied behind Ara Galang, Kim Dy, Cyd Demecillo, Mika Reyes and Mary Joy Baron.

But the Lady Spikers seemed to have paid dearly for it with Galang appearing to have hurt a leg in the third set. She missed the final yesterday with a knee injury.

“It’s the finals. You just have to give your best,” said Valdez.

This year’s champion will be crowned on Saturday when the third game of the series will be played at 3:30 p.m. at the Araneta Coliseum. It’s a do-or-die contest.

A record crowd came to see the beautiful game at the Mall of Asia Arena. They shouted their hearts and their lungs out, at every point, every set.

In the end, the Ateneo fans had the final say, and chanted, “One Big Fight!!”

Valdez scored 34 points, 32 of them on attacks that proved unstoppable from the other side of the court. More than those points, it was her presence that made the difference.

The match lasted one hour 56 minutes, and Valdez was on the court every second of it. She made sure it was not to be her final game in the UAAP.

She was tireless inside the court, like a toddler on a playground.

“Sorry, it’s not yet the end. Let’s see each other on Saturday,” said Valdez inside the press room. Valdez was fielding questions from the press when her mobile phone rang.

“It’s my mom calling,” she said, drawing laughter around her.

It was the best from the three-time MVP, who scored on spikes that almost left a dent on the floor. La Salle defenders did their best to stop her but it just wasn’t meant to be.

Not on this night when Valdez received her third MVP plum.

La Salle, which took Game One in straight sets, seemed headed to victory and their first title since winning back-to-back until 2013. They took the second set after trailing 20-24.

Fans in green whooped it up and rejoiced after the Lady Spikers took the second set. The way the game went early on, Ateneo looked like it was ready to fold.

But Valdez kept on trying, jumping up and down, smiling, each time she scored a point. Her intensity rubbed off on her teammates, and before they knew it, they had the game tied.

Then it all boiled down to the fifth and final set.

Again, it was Valdez who opened up the scoring, with another spike, followed by another one from Isabel de Leon. It was tight until Ateneo took a 9-6 lead and then 11-7.

When Maraguinot made it 14-11 for Ateneo, its head coach Tai Bundit started dancing on the floor. Ateneo won the next point and the match on a two-touch violation by La Salle.