Lady Eagles fortify hold of second spot in UAAP volleyball

Ateneo outclassed Far Eastern University, 25-22, 25-21, 23-25, 25-20, to fortify its grip of second spot in the 74th UAAP women's volleyball tournament at The Arena in San Juan City. Ateneo capitalized on FEU's ace spiker Micah Morada's absence to post a thrilling two-sets-to-none advantage. But that did not stop the Lady Tamaraws to force a fourth set behind the combined efforts of Rosemary Vargas, Mayjorie Roxas and Wenneth Eulalio. Ateneo setter Jam Ferrer, reserved hitter Jorella Marie de Jesus and rookie Alyssa Valdez then went to work in the fourth frame to seal the win. "Ang tibay ng depensa ng FEU tapos ang sama pa ng laro namin. Halos wala kaming receive, sa offense lang talaga nakalusot,” said Ateneo coach Roger Gorayeb. "Napaka-consistent ni Fille (Cainglet) sa first five games, ngayon lang siya sobrang off. Mabuti at gumana ang offense namin dahil masama ang aming receiving." The loss dropped the Lady Tamaraws' record to 3-3. Valdez paced the Lady Eagles with 21 points followed by Dzi Gervacio's 16 markers, two blocks and two service aces while team skipper Fille Cainglet made 11 hits.

Eulalio and Vargas led FEU's losing cause with 17 point each. Meanwhile, FEU athletic director Mark Molina clarified speculations that Morada was sacked from the squad. "Micah actually talked to me and the coaching staff and admitted that she's really tired of keeping her commitments with the team since she's already working for Meralco,” said Molina. Morada graduated last March but the veteran spiker is still eligible to play for one more year. She decided to take up a Master's degree to be able to play for FEU this season but decided to take a job at Meralco early this month.