UAAP: Ateneo crumbles in the endgame to give La Salle Game 1 of the women's volleyball finals

The De La Salle University Lady Spikers fell down 0-2, before recovering in the last three sets, 20-25 17-25 25-22 25-22 15-6, to take the first game of the UAAP women's volleyball finals on Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. La Salle looked lost in the first two sets, with Ateneo deviating from the norm. The Lady Eagles chose to spread the points around, instead of force-feeding scoring machine Alyssa Valdez. La Salle then recovered in the third, gathering enough kills to stay alive, 25-22. A Michelle Gumabao error gave Ateneo a 22-21 lead in the fourth set, but she took it right back with a kill to tie the game up. La Salle got lucky on the next point, as Ateneo was caught with seven players on the floor. An Ara Galang kill followed to give DLSU set point, 24-22, before Mika Reyes found a hole in the middle for set point. An Abi Maraño kill right down the middle gave La Salle a 12-6 lead in the fifth, before an Aillysse Nacachi error made it 13-6. Another defensive gem by La Salle gave the two-time defending champions match point, before Michelle Gumabao put it away with a kill. Ara Galang led La Salle with 17, while Michelle Gumabao and Mika Reyes chipped in 15 each. Team Captain Abi Maraño only had 11, but kept the team together in the crucial points of the game with her defense. Alyssa Valdez had 17 points for Ateneo, while Fille Cainglet had 14. Team captain Dzi Gervacio had nine. - AMD, GMA News