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UAAP: La Salle kicks off 4-peat bid by beating Ateneo

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Camille B. Naredo, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/sports/02/17/20190217-lasalle.jpg?ext=.jpg"/><figcaption>The De La Salle Lady Spikers needed four sets to beat archrivals Ateneo.<em> Richard Esguerra, <a href="https://sports.abs-cbn.com/uaap/volleyball/photos">ABS-CBN Sports</a></em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA, Philippines --<strong> (UPDATE 2) </strong>De La Salle University opened its bid for a fourth straight volleyball title on a high note, as the Lady Spikers overwhelmed the Ateneo de Manila University Lady Eagles in four sets on Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena.</p><p>Save for an error-prone third set, the Lady Spikers were in control all throughout and secured a 25-14, 25-17, 16-25, 25-19 triumph in their first game of the UAAP Season 81 women&#x27;s volleyball tournament.</p><p>The Lady Spikers pounced on Ateneo&#x27;s erratic floor defense and service reception, with skipper Desiree Cheng ending the match with an ace.</p><p>&quot;Hindi naman madaling kalaban ang Ateneo. It&#x27;s the first game, naging pabor lang sa amin &#x27;yung lahat ng situation, kaya siguro kami na nanalo,&quot; said La Salle head coach Ramil de Jesus. </p><p>Four players scored in double-digits for La Salle, with Cheng tallying 13 points on 8 kills, 2 blocks, and 3 aces. May Luna and rookie Jolina dela Cruz added 10 markers, while Aduke Ogunsanya had 10 points. Michelle Cobb did a fine job in orchestrating La Salle&#x27;s offense, tallying 29 excellent sets on top of her 4 aces.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://sports.abs-cbn.com/uaap/news/2019/02/17/uaap-season-81-tigresses-survive-lady-falcons-scare-53520">READ: Tigresses survive Lady Falcons&#x27; scare</a></li></ul><p>La Salle, which lost veterans Kianna Dy, Majoy Baron, and Dawn Macandili at the end of Season 80, displayed its might right in the opening frame, while the Lady Eagles -- now coach by Oliver Almadro -- showed signs of nerves. Ateneo committed a whopping 12 unforced errors in the first set, giving La Salle the comfortable win.</p><p>The Lady Eagles managed to stay close in the second set, trailing by just one point, 16-17, after La Salle rookie Jolina dela Cruz committed a service error. But Ateneo succumbed to their own miscues afterward, and the Lady Spikers went on to win 8 of the last 9 points to claim a 2-0 lead. </p><p>Ateneo showed signs of life in the third set, even taking a 13-6 lead. This time, it was La Salle that fell prey to miscues: the Lady Spikers committed four straight errors that contributed to the deficit. </p><p>La Salle came to within four points, 18-14, off a Tin Tiamzon kill and a smart hit by Cheng, but Ateneo staved off their uprising after Jules Samonte scored an off-the-block hit. The Lady Eagles cruised to victory in Set 3 and the final point of the frame exemplified La Salle&#x27;s woes as Cheng and libero Carmel Saga miscommunicated on the second ball of Samonte&#x27;s serve. The Lady Spikers committed 11 unforced errors in the set.</p><p>&quot;Sabi ko naman kasi after ng second set, medyo nag-celebrate na kasi &#x27;yung team,&quot; admitted de Jesus. &quot;Lumabas din ang mga errors. Sabi ko kung makukuha ng third set, balikan na lang natin ng fourth set.&quot;</p><p>That was exactly what the Lady Spikers did, as they recovered their form in the fourth set. They opened up a 9-4 advantage, with May Luna coming alive in front while Ateneo&#x27;s service reception fell apart. They led by as much as 6 points, 19-13, and only La Salle&#x27;s own errors kept Ateneo alive. In the end, however, the Lady Spikers ended the match in a fitting manner as Cheng scored another ace -- their 15th of the game.</p><div><script src="https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&amp;version=v2.5" async="" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/ABSCBNSports/videos/2330171293933166/" data-width="auto"> </div><p>Ateneo&#x27;s high-octane offense was kept in check by La Salle, and the Lady Eagles managed just 28 attack points. </p><p>Kat Tolentino finished with 13 attacks, but no other Ateneo player reached double figures in scoring. A bright spot for the Katipunan spikers was the promising performance of rookie setter Jaja Maraguinot, who had 13 excellent sets in relief duty.</p><p>For more sports coverage, visit the <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com">ABS-CBN Sports website</a>.</p>

<p>(UPDATE 2) De La Salle University opened its bid for a fourth straight volleyball title on a high note, as the Lady Spikers overwhelmed the Ateneo de Manila University Lady Eagles in four sets on Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena.</p>

(UPDATE 2) De La Salle University opened its bid for a fourth straight volleyball title on a high note, as the Lady Spikers overwhelmed the Ateneo de Manila University Lady Eagles in four sets on Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

UAAP: La Salle kicks off 4-peat bid by beating Ateneo

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UAAP: La Salle kicks off 4-peat bid by beating Ateneo

Camille B. Naredo,

ABS-CBN News

Published Feb 17, 2019 06:55 PM PHT

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Updated Feb 17, 2019 07:37 PM PHT

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volleyball

Ateneo Lady Eagles

De La Salle Lady Spikers

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