Lady Spikers rain aces on Lady Eagles in four-set win

MANILA, Philippines – The DLSU Lady Spikers bested the Ateneo Lady Eagles in four sets, 25-14, 25-17, 16-25, 25-19, in their UAAP Season 81 opener at the Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday.

The Lady Spikers exploited receiving woes by the Katipunan-based squad, tallying a whopping 15 aces in the match.

DLSU started strong from the get-go. Relying on the offense of May Luna and Desiree Cheng, the Lady Spikers bombarded the error-prone Lady Eagles.

DLSU dominated the opening set, 25-14.

The Lady Eagles seemed to recover in the second set, playing at pace with the defending champions to take the lead early, 10-8. 

But Ateneo’s crucial offensive errors helped DLSU to retake the lead and eventually pull away, 25-17, to go 2-0.

Unwilling to give up a sweep against their rivals, the Lady Eagles finally stepped up in the third set.

Led by Kat Tolentino and Jules Samonte, the Lady Eagles were able to stay alive, 25-16.

Putting the third set defeat behind them, the Lady Spikers quickly went back to their winning form.

DLSU started the fourth with a 3-0 run, including back-to-back aces from Michelle Cobb.

Despite efforts from the Ateneo side to get back into the game, DLSU was able to maintain a comfortable cushion for most of the set.

Cheng put the nail in the coffin with an ace to end the match.

Cheng led the way for DLSU with 13 points while Luna and rookie Jolina dela Cruz contributed with 11 points each.

Kat Tolentino was the lone bright spot for Ateneo with 16 points.