La Salle dominates Ateneo

By Josiah Albelda Posted Jan 12th 2014

No-brainer.

De La Salle University proved to be too much for an overmatched Ateneo de Manila University side in their much-anticipated 76th UAAP women's volleyball tournament match Sunday at the packed Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

The Lady Spikers went off to a slow start, but wasted no time in bossing the Lady Eagles around in the 25-16, 25-20, 25-16 whipping they handed before more than 10, 600 people at the venue.

Mika Reyes terrorized Ateneo anew, firing seven hits and six blocks as she reprised the vital role she played in La Salle's title quest over their bitter rivals in Season 75.

And even though the Lady Eagles came out battling early, the outcome was never in doubt as the Lady Spikers notched their 22nd straight UAAP win and kept their record immaculate at 6-0 this season.

Back-to-back miscues by La Salle gave Ateneo an 8-5 lead in the first set, but Reyes and reigning MVP Ara Galang conspired in a 14-5 blast that gave the Taft spikers a 19-13 lead that they would not relinquish.

The Lady Eagles came close to 20-16, but Cyd Demecillo led a 5-0 windup that handed the opener to the three-time defending champs, 25-16.

Three straight errors by Ateneo superstar Alyssa Valdez pushed the Lady Spikers to a 4-0 advantage in the second set, giving La Salle the headway that the Lady Eagles could not overtake in falling, 25-20.

The final frame proved to be more of a formality, as the Lady Spikers' onslaught continued with everyone contributing as La Salle extended its dominance over Ateneo.

Galang had 10 points, Aby Marano rifled in nine, Demecillo added seven and setter Kim Fajardo contributed six points and 17 excellent sets for coach Ramil de Jesus, who is now just three wins away from 200 in his coaching career.

Valdez failed to get rhythm and finished with a paltry 11-point output -- 10.5 points below her league-leading 20.5 point-per-game average.