UAAP: Valdez bucks knee issues as Lady Eagles trump Lady Falcons

The Ateneo Lady Eagles ruffled the Adamson Lady Falcons on Saturday in straight sets, 25-21 25-12 25-22, at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

Down two sets to none, the Lady Falcons mounted a comeback in the third set leading by as much as two, only to surrender that crucial margin to unforced errors. Adamson scored six straight in the third set to grab a one-point advantage, but the Lady Eagles held their own, even with Alyssa Valdez nursing knee issues.

Den Lazaro received Player of the Game awards, tallying 16 digs and 10 receptions to anchor an Ateneo defense that withstood the three-pronged attack of Mayette Zapanta, Shiela Pineda, and Amanda Villanueva. Alyssa Valdez, despite playing with only one healthy knee, again led the team in scoring, topping her squad with 17 points, 15 off attacks, while Amy Ahomiro followed suit wth 12 points, 10 off kills.

Ateneo de Manila is now in a four-way tie with UST, FEU, and NU for the third spot with identical 2-1 cards so far. Adamson meanwhile drops to 1-2 at solo sixth, looking over UE and UP, who are still winless.

Both teams were locked in a tight battle, as timely rotations to Pineda and Zapanta yielded results for Adamson. Valdez capitalized once she shifted up front, forging eight deadlocks before the second technical timeout. The Lady Eagles wedged a three-point lead after a service ace from Tejada and a wipe from Ahomiro, as reserve Ella De Jesus kept the lead at three while Valdez sat on the bench, 22-19. Adamson managed to trim the five-point Ateneo lead to three after consecutive attacks by Mayette Zapanta, but a net violation would be their undoing, as Ateneo corralled set number one, 25-21.

The Lady Falcons committed one error too many in the second set, as their miscues compounded Ateneo’s composed offense. Ateneo enjoyed a ten-point lead before Coach Sherwin Meneses sued for time. Valdez gingerly walked with her right leg after a scrum, but appeared to be doing fine. Marge Tejada, De Jesus and Ahomiro picked up the slack while Valdez iced her knee, and the Lady Eagles notched another set, 25-12.

Adamson’s net violations and service errors proved costly, as it resulted in 25 points for Ateneo. Pineda, the only player to score in double figures, top-scored with 15 points. Zapanta and Villanueva added nine and four, respectively.

The Lady Eagles look to extend their streak to three against the UE Lady Warriors on Wednesday, December 18 at 2pm, while the Lady Falcons face the tough task of taming the UST Tigresses on the same day at 4pm.  - RAF, GMA News