No Alyssa, no problem: Lady Eagles cruise past Lady Tigers in V-League opening

Even without superstar Alyssa Valdez, Ateneo de Manila University breezed past University of Santo Tomas, 25-11, 27-25, 19-25, 25-21, to open their Shakey's V-League Collegiate Conference campaign on Saturday afternoon.

 

The Phenom sat out the game in order to rest and recover from playing non-stop volleyball since the UAAP season to the Southeast Asian Games, but incoming sophomores Jhoana Maraguinot and Bea de Leon stepped up in her absence.

 

Maraguinot, who showed flashes of brilliance hitting from the back row just like Valdez, scored 21 of her 23 points off attacks to bag the Player of the Game honors.

 

"Siguro we just enjoyed the game, saka nagrelax lang kami. Kami-kami lang 'to so we have to work together talaga," she said about their mindset heading into the game without their team captain and main scorer.

 

Ateneo cruised in the first set as UST looked tentative on floor defense, but the entry of setter Sarah Verutiao did wonders for the Tigresses as they seized control for most of the second frame before losing steam down the stretch.

 

The España-based squad complete fell into rhythm in the third, mounting a 19-9 cushion behind the attacks of veteran triumvirate Pam Lastimosa, Carmela Tunay, and Ria Meneses as the Katipunan-based team lapsed into errors.

 

Ateneo threatened to make the comeback after UST made their own string of mistakes especially from the service line, but they were able to close out the set with a cross-court hit from EJ Laure.

 

The Lady Eagles, however, once gain found their form in the fourth, pulling away from a tight opening stretch to post a 17-13 cushion. The Tigresses managed to put themselves within striking distance at 23-20 courtesy of back-to-back cross-court spikes from Laure, but an off-the-block hit from Maraguinot and a net violation sealed the game. - JST, GMA News