V-League: Adamson, Ateneo soar in quarterfinals opener

(Updated 7:59pm) Avian squads dominated on Thursday, as Adamson and Ateneo opened the quarterfinal round of the 10th season of the Shakey's V-League with impressive wins, at the FilOil Flying V Arena. It was a battle of explosive scorers in the first match of the day, as the San Sebastian College-Recoletos Lady Stags' power-hitting tandem of Jeng Bualee and Su Roces, went head-to-head against the high-flying Adamson Lady Falcons trio of Pau Soriano, Shiela Pineda and Angela Benting, with the latter prevailing in four sets, 25-21, 25-20, 23-25, and 25-20. Both teams were well matched as San Sebastian held on to a slim one-point lead at the first technical time out of the first set at 8-7. However, after four deadlocks early on, the Lady Falcons benefited from Pineda in the service zone, as she helped the Lady Falcons take command of a 12-8 lead. Gretchel Soltones of the Lady Stags would keep her team in the match as she scored in bunches to bring San Sebastian within one at 16-15. Bualee would then tie the set at 19-all and 21-all, before the Lady Falcons delivered a 4-0 scoring run to give Adamson the first win at 25-21. The second set started in an identical fashion, only this time Adamson was ahead by the technical time out at 8-7.  Mylene Paat’s service game for the Lady Falcons would push their lead to five at 12-7, and with Benting’s hustle and energy outmatching the Lady Stags, Adamson increased their lead to 16-9. In addition, Pineda caught fire, as she raised the Lady Falcon’s lead to as much as ten at 21-11, connecting from every conceivable angle. The momentum would however shift, as Bualee’s power tips and Roces’ presence in the front line would lift the Lady Stags to a 9-3 scoring run, putting them within four at 24-20. The San Sebastian resiliency would however fall short, as Adamson’s offense would push through to take the second set at 25-20. The third set started with Adamson committing a flurry of errors to give the Lady Stags a quick 3-1 lead. It was 12-7, before the Lady Falcons fought back and eventually grabbed a 15-14 advantage. Paat and Faye Guevara then sparked Adamson to take a 19-16 cushion, before Bualee and Roces would fight back to knot things up at 21-all. With Adamson committing a crucial unforced error to give the Lady Stags the set point at 24-23, San Sebastian took advantage of the situation and pulled away with the 25-23 win. In the fourth set, Bualee remained aggressive in her power tips and attacks while Roces continued to score with her running spikes as the offensive duo grabbed a quick 6-4 lead.   Adamson however would snatch the lead by the first technical timeout of the set at 8-7. With Benting and Soriano playing well and consistent, the Lady Falcons pulled away to a five-point buffer at 18-13. Despite Soltones in her proper rhythm and Bualee pleasing the crowd with her athleticism and thunderous back-row spikes, the Lady Falcons were just too alert on the defensive end to drop another set. Benting finished the match with an emphatic down-the-line attack, to give Adamson the 25-20 win. SSCR's Jeng Bualee once again led all scorers in a loss, getting 25 points. Gretchel Soltones and Su Roces followed-up her performance with 15 and 12 respectively. Adamson had another well-balanced scoring outing from their players. With May Jennifer Macatuno racking up an outstanding 43 excellent sets, Benting was able to grab a team-high 21 points, followed by Pineda’s 19, Soriano’s 16 and Mylene Paat’s 10. The second match of the day featured the undefeated Ateneo de Manila Universty Lady Eagles defeating the Arellano Lady Chiefs in a three-set sweep, 25-18, 25-17 and 25-23. The first set started with guest players Nene Bautista and MJ Balse controlling the pace of the game for the Lady Chiefs, as they held on to an 8-6 advantage by the first technical timeout. With the towering Shirly Salamagos and the feisty Danna Henson attacking aggressively, the Lady Eagles had their hands full in the opening salvo. Fortunately for the defending champs, Rachel Anne Daquis stepped up immediately, as she led the way in giving her side a 16-12 lead. The Lady Eagles removed what was left of their rust, stemming from their 11-day rest, as they regained their winning groove. An Alyssa Valdez attack sealed the first set for Ateneo with a score of 25-18.   With the crowd energized by the Lady Eagles’ performance, Ateneo started the first set on fire with an 8-3 start. Marge Tejada and Mae Tajima were key contributors to the lead that Ateneo built, and the duo extended their squad's advantage to 16-8, with a combination of consistency and aggressiveness. Ateneo easily claimed the second set at 25-17. Ateneo remained on target in the third set as they piled up a quick 6-1 lead care of the additional boost from players such as Amy Ahomiro and Bea Tan. The Lady Chiefs however would not go away without a fight, as Balse, Bautista and Henson relentlessly challenged the Ateneo defense. They were able to slowly crawl back into the game at 21-all, before taking the lead at 22-21 and at 23-22. Despite the scrappy Lady Chiefs riding a comeback surge, veterans Jem Ferrer, Fille Cainglet, Aeriel Patnongon and Daquis had too much experience under their belt to let the set, slip away as they sealed the match at 25-23. Alyssa Valdez led 10 Ateneans who got on board with 14 markers, while Rachel Ann Daquis provided 12 more points. Arellano drew 14 as well from Mary Jean Balse, while their other guest paler Nerissa Bautista chimed in with 10. When the dust settled, Ateneo (Quarters-Group I) and Adamson (Quarters-Group II), improved to 2-0 in the standings, while their foes dropped to 0-2. - AMD, GMA News