ADMU fight Lady Spikers in a set of 5; forces Game 3

There are a lot of sports out there today. Most require a decent amount of physical effort

in order to participate in. Some sports use lots of equipment to play, and others require none.

There are even sports that many people cannot play because they can't afford it. But, out of all

sports that I could choose as my favorite, I would have to say Volleyball is the best. Volleyball is

a great sport and let me tell you why. Many sports you may be familiar with have a certain

playing field to them. Basketball has a basketball court, and baseball has a baseball diamond, and

bowling has a bowling alley, and well you get the idea. And what makes volleyball so great is

that it doesn't require a special playing field. You can play anywhere you please with the proper

amount of room.  Even if you don't have a nearby beach, volleyball can be played in your own

backyard. This way you won't have to travel very far. Volleyball is a great way to entertain the

guests of Graduation parties, wedding receptions, and even family reunions. Add a pool and a

barbeque pit and you’re ready to party.

             One of the other great qualities that volleyball has is how inexpensive it is to play. When

you go to the beach many people are already playing volleyball with their own nets and you can

easily join in. If you do decide to buy a net for home or the beach the equipment is really

affordable. All you need is a net, a ball, and some people to play with. In terms of media, UAAP

is the best TV shows that highlights Volleyball sport.

The DLSU or Lady Spikers fell short in Game 2 of the UAAP Season 78 Women’s

Volleyball Finals against the Ateneo Lady Eagles, falling in five sets, 18-25, 26-28, 25-17, 25-

16, 15-11, last April at the Mall of Asia Arena. The Player of the Game honors went to ADMU
team captain Alyssa Valdez, as she led her team with a game-high 34 points on 32 attacks.

Jhoana Maraguinot and Bea De Leon also added 15 and 12 points, respectively. On the other

hand, there were four Lady Spikers who scored in double digits, with Kim Dy leading the way

with 16 points on 13 attacks. Mika Reyes, Ara Galang, and Cyd Demecillo followed with 14, 12,

and 10 points, respectively, to round out the DLSU double-figure scorers. “Mind over matter na

‘to. Kahit masakit, laban pa rin,” said Valdez after the match.The Lady Spikers opened the

scoring of the first set with an open attack from Galang. They proceeded to make an 8-2 run to

give them a 9-2 advantage in the opening set. Ateneo tried to catch up throughout the set but La

Salle protected their lead fiercely. In the end, it was La Salle who drew first blood by taking the

first set at 25-18. The second frame saw the two teams in a tight match early into the set. A

service ace from Baron enabled La Salle to go on a 5-2 run to grab the lead, 13-10. However,

Ateneo answered back with four consecutive points, catapulted by strong attacks to give them

the advantage, at 14-13. The set continued with La Salle trailing behind ADMU until set point.

Unforced errors haunted the Lady Eagles late in the set, however, which put them at breakpoint,

26-all. Galang and Dy scored back-to-back points to give DLSU the second set, 28-26. Similar to

the previous frame, the third set started with a a close match ensuing between the two rivals. At

7-all, De Leon and Valdez worked together on an 8-1 run to take the lead, 15-8. La Salle

answered with a 6-3 run on three consecutive blocks and a quick attack from Reyes to cut

Ateneo’s lead to three, 17-14. The Lady Spikers tried to catch up, but ADMU kept their lead

until the end of the set. An open spike from Therese Marie Gaston ended the third set at 25-17, in

favor of Ateneo.

At the start of the fourth set, the two teams went toe-to-toe against each other, not letting

the other team gain a huge advantage. However, Ateneo went on a 7-1 run to grab a six-point
lead. La Salle tried to cut the lead but multiple errors prevented them from making strong runs.

Eventually, Ateneo got the set after a couple of errors made by La Salle, 25-16. With the match

on the line, both teams executed various plays in hopes of getting the advantage first. At 5-all,

Ateneo started to pull away as they scored two points for every point La Salle made to give

themselves an 11-7 lead. The Lady Spikers answered with a couple of quick attacks and an ace

from Reyes to cut the lead to two, 12-10. However, the Lady Eagles kept their lead and

eventually won the set and match, 15-11. In terms of team statistics, the Lady Eagles topped in

the number of attacks with 63 excellent attacks against La Salle’s 47.

On the other hand, the Lady Spikers outperformed Ateneo in the two other scoring

categories as they finished with nine blocks and eight aces against ADMU’s six blocks and seven

aces. Prior to the match, three Lady Spikers were given special awards for their excellent

performance during the UAAP Season 78 Women’s Volleyball elimination round. Team captain

Kim Fajardo and MaJoy Baron were awarded as the Best Setter and Best Blocker, respectively,

while Dawn Macandili was given the Best Receiver and Best Digger awards. On the other hand,

Lady Eagle Valdez was awarded as the season’s MVP for the third straight year.