Ateneo rallies past La Salle to force winner-take-all Game 3

The Ateneo Lady Eagles lived to fight another day after rallying back from a two-set deficit against the De La Salle Lady Spikers on Wednesday in Game Two of the UAAP Season 78 women's volleyball finals at Mall of Asia Arena.

After its straight sets victory in the opener, La Salle looked poised to recapture its title taking the first two sets, 25-18 and 28-26.

But the two-time defending champion Lady Eagles battled back behind Alyssa Valdez, taking the next two sets, 25-17 and 25-16.

Ateneo continued to ride its three-time Most Valuable Player in the deciding set, which it took, 15-11.

With the win, the Lady Eagles kept their three-peat dreams alive. La Salle, meanwhile, is trying to end a two-year drought after registering their own three-peat from Season 73 to 75.

La Salle raced to an early lead in the first set, overwhelming Ateneo 20-13. The Lady Eagles then went on a 5-3 run, forcing La Salle to call for time. But in the end, DLSU's five aces and Ateneo's six errors spelled the difference, as the Lady Spikers took Set 1, 25-18.

In the second, La Salle played catch up for most of the set, while Ateneo rolled to a 24-20 edge. Great play from Mika Reyes, coupled with errors from the Lady Eagles tied the game, as La Salle came up big to steal Set 2, 28-26.

It was the Lady Eagles turn to take control of the game in Set 3, as they built on an early lead. The defending champions smothered La Salle on offense, tallying 15 kills to the Lady Spikers' eight.

Ateneo continued with its momentum in the fourth set, edging the Lady Spikers in offense to cruise to a 25-16 win. La Salle continued to lag behind in the fifth set, trailing 8-6, before bowing to the Lady Eagles.—JST, GMA News