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Morado 'makes volleyball easier' for Ateneo teammates

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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/2017/sports/03/13/031317_mora.jpg"/><figcaption><div class="embed-desc">Ateneo&#x27;s Jia Morado (12) and Bea de Leon (14) try to block an attack from UP&#x27;s Isa Molde in their UAAP Season 79 game. <cite>Josh Albelda, </cite><a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/uaap/volleyball/photos"><cite>ABS-CBN Sports</cite></a></div></figcaption></figure></div>MANILA, Philippines – Ateneo de Manila University setter Jia Morado submitted a virtuoso performance last Saturday to help the Lady Eagles book a comfortable victory over the University of the Philippines (UP) in the second round of the UAAP Season 79 tournament.Morado was credited with 38 excellent sets, and was in total control of the game as Ateneo cruised to a 25-15, 25-14, 25-15 win over Katipunan rivals to extend their winning streak to six games. For good measure, she also added five points, including the match-winner off a 1-2 play.With Morado pulling the strings, the Lady Eagles converted 44 of their 89 spikes, a 49% success rate. Jho Maraguinot (17 points) and Kat Tolentino (10 points) got most of the touches, and together they had a stunning 53% conversion rate as UP&#x27;s net defense struggled to keep up with Ateneo&#x27;s speedy plays.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/uaap/news/2017/03/11/ateneo-wins-sixth-straight-hands-up-fourth-loss-row-23098">READ: Ateneo wins sixth straight, hands UP fourth loss in a row</a></li></ul>&quot;She makes volleyball a lot easier for us,&quot; said Ateneo middle blocker Bea de Leon, who had nine points in the victory while also connecting on several high-percentage sets.&quot;Halos 100% ng bola, sa setter pumupunta. Diskarte niya talaga &#x27;yung ginagawa namin. Kung gaano kagaling &#x27;yung setter niyo, madadala talaga &#x27;yung team,&quot; De Leon added. &quot;She&#x27;s probably the only person who thinks that way for us.&quot;[The setter gets almost 100% of the balls, and we just do what she thinks we should do. If you have a good setter, she can really carry the team.]Morado, who normed 13.32 excellent sets per set at the end of the first round, is regularly credited as one of the major reasons for Ateneo&#x27;s success in Season 79, as they &quot;rebuild&quot; following the graduation of superstar Alyssa Valdez. As their new captain, Morado not only orchestrates the offense, but also provides the stabilizing presence for the Lady Eagles as Valdez used to.Her ability to unfailingly transform poor first balls into excellent passes has drawn praise from fans and analysts, as well as Ateneo&#x27;s coaches.Assistant coach Sherwin Meneses praised Morado, saying she was born to be a playmaker.&quot;Siyempre, mayroon talagang mga players na pinanganak na ganoon,&quot; Meneses said after watching Morado&#x27;s performance against UP.&quot;&#x27;Yung instinct ng setter talaga, iba ang kay Jia. Nakikita ko talaga na kahit pangit ang receive, kaya niyang pagandahin,&quot; he explained. &quot;May instinct siya talaga na isang block lagi. Sobrang galing niya.&quot;[There were players who were just born that way. Jia&#x27;s instinct as a setter is just really different. I can see that even when we don&#x27;t get a good reception, she finds a way to make it work. She makes it so her spikers only have one blocker. She&#x27;s really good.]Morado, however, has consistently sought to downplay her role in the team&#x27;s success, insisting that she is simply doing her job for the Lady Eagles.&quot;Volleyball is a team sport nga parang lahat kami may kanya-kanyang role so kailangan mag-function ako as setter para makalaro ang team,&quot; she said.[We all have our roles, so I have to function as a setter so the team can work.]&quot;Siyempre hindi rin ako makaka-function kung hindi gagawin ng iba ang trabaho nila. So as much as possible lahat kami nagtutulungan,&quot; Morado added.[Of course, I can&#x27;t function if my other teammates don&#x27;t do their jobs. As much as possible, we help each other.]The Lady Eagles improved to 7-1 with their win over UP, but their upcoming schedule is daunting as they face Final 4 contenders University of Santo Tomas, Far Eastern University, and National University in succession.&quot;Siguro consistency and aggressiveness lang,&quot; Morado said on how they will deal with the upcoming grind. &quot;And like what Coach Tai (Bundit) said, more confidence.&quot;[We need more consistency and aggressiveness, and like Coach Tai said, more confidence.]For more sports coverage, visit the ABS-CBN <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com" target="_blank">Sports website.</a>

Ateneo setter Jia Morado submitted a virtuoso performance on Saturday to help the Lady Eagles book a comfortable victory over the University of the Philippines in the second round of the UAAP Season 79 tournament.

Ateneo setter Jia Morado submitted a virtuoso performance on Saturday to help the Lady Eagles book a comfortable victory over the University of the Philippines in the second round of the UAAP Season 79 tournament.

Morado 'makes volleyball easier' for Ateneo teammates

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Morado 'makes volleyball easier' for Ateneo teammates

Camille B. Naredo,

ABS-CBN News

Published March 13, 2017 11:48 AM PHT

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Updated March 13, 2017 11:49 AM PHT

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UAAP

volleyball

Jia Morado

Ateneo Lady Eagles

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