Lady Spikers seek to avenge Game One loss to ADMU

After weeks of anticipation, the finals of the UAAP Women’s Volleyball tournament are finally underway as the ADMU Lady Eagles drew first blood against the defending champions, the DLSU Lady Spikers.

The result of this game was a shocker to La Salle fans everywhere as the Lady Eagles, who have not won a single game against DLSU this season, took the first game of the finals in four sets after losing the first. With the win, both teams are now in a race to win two more games to seize the title of UAAP Women’s Volleyball champs for this season.

When the Lady Eagles entered the first game of the series facing a thrice-to-beat disadvantage, the team seemed confident and determined to beat their long time rivals. Their win over La Salle was brought about by their overall team effort. Whether it was a spike from the duo of Michelle Morente and Alyssa Valdez; the services of Amy Ahomiro and Ella De Jesus, or the entire team’s blocking, their efforts meshed perfectly to beat the Lady Spikers.

Despite their loss in Game One, the Lady Spikers showed that they are capable of rallying back. The Lady Spikers were not so far behind from the Lady Eagles based on stats.There were even instances in the second and fourth set where the Lady Spikers were able to close the distance between them and their opponent and it could have gone either way.

The 18-day grace period for DLSU before the finals proved to be a factor that slightly hindered them in the first game. In Game One, the Lady Spikers incurred a total of 26 errors which worked in favor of the Lady Eagles. Despite this, the Lady Spikers had the upper hand in block points as the team was able to rack up 11 in total from blocks.

With Game Two fast approaching, DLSU head coach Ramil De Jesus and his squad still have time to correct their faults from the previous game. With an experienced coach and talented roster, it is highly possible that history will repeat itself and the Lady Spikers will claim the championship, just like what they did against Ateneo in UAAP 74 where they won the second and third finals games to seize the championship after dropping the opening match.

After Game One, both teams are now on equal ground as they are in need of two more wins to clinch the title. Game Two will be on March 8, Saturday, at 4 pm in the SMART-Araneta Coliseum and the question now is, how will both teams perform in the next games of this finals series?

Will the Lady Eagles continue to build on their momentum and pull of an upset by beating DLSU and take their first ever UAAP Women’s Volleyball championship or will the Lady Spikers bounce back from their predicament as they did in the finals of UAAP 74 and become the first team to win the championship four times in a row? One thing is for sure though and it is that this finals series will be one for the books.