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Ateneo Lady Eagles come into their own in post-Alyssa era

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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/04/27/ale-2017-042717.jpg?ext=.jpg"/><figcaption><div class="embed-desc">The Ateneo Lady Eagles celebrate after making it to the UAAP Season 79 Finals. <cite> Arvin Lim,<a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/uaap/volleyball/photos"> ABS-CBN Sports </a></cite></div></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA, Philippines – Alyssa Valdez may have already graduated from the Ateneo de Manila University, but she continues to cast a long shadow over the school&#x27;s women&#x27;s volleyball program.</p><p>In the UAAP Season 79 tournament – the first time in five years that Ateneo played without Valdez – the Lady Eagles&#x27; fans continue to show up to games wearing Valdez&#x27;s famed No. 2 jersey. Her passionate fan club, the &quot;AlyFinity,&quot; continues to watch the games, though now they have extended their support to the team&#x27;s other players.</p><p>When Valdez returned to the Philippines after a stint in Thailand and began watching Ateneo&#x27;s games, she still drew some of the loudest cheers in the arena whenever her perennially smiling face is shown on the big screen.</p><p>Valdez even remains present during the Lady Eagles&#x27; practices – her new team, Creamline, practices at the Blue Eagle Gym at the same time as the Ateneo women&#x27;s team. Her UAAP playing years may be over, but she remains ever present. </p><p>Yet for all of Valdez&#x27;s obvious value to Ateneo – after all, they made the UAAP Finals in each of her five years, and won two championships – the Lady Eagles have not only survived Season 79 without the &quot;Phenom.&quot; </p><p>They have thrived.</p><p>Few could have expected that an Ateneo team without Valdez – a rebuilding team – would advance to the UAAP Season 79 Finals. But that is exactly what the Lady Eagles did. They had dominant stretches in the elimination round, losing only to National University and sweeping De Le Salle University. </p><p>They finished the elims as the No. 1 seed for the third straight season, and barged to their sixth consecutive Finals appearance last Sunday by beating Far Eastern University in a classic four-set battle.</p><p>For the current crop of Lady Eagles, their Finals appearance in Season 79 is a validation. </p><p>&quot;Parang napaisip din kami na kaya din namin,&quot; said Ateneo opposite hitter Michelle Morente, whose return to the line-up this year provided the Lady Eagles with an all-around force that they sorely missed in Season 78.</p><p>&quot;Kaya din namin na kami lang, na we won&#x27;t depend on someone,&quot; she added. &quot;Kilala niyo naman si Ate Ly – pag binigay niyo sa kanya &#x27;yung bola, patay agad.&quot;</p><p>[We realized that we can do it, even if we&#x27;re on our own and we&#x27;re not depending on someone like Ate Alyssa. You know how Ate Ly is – if you give her the ball, she can score immediately.]</p><p>Ateneo had grown to rely on Valdez&#x27;s overwhelming offensive production, especially in crunch time of games when she regularly puts her team on her back and wills them to victory. With Valdez gone, however, the Lady Eagles needed to figure out a new dynamic on offense, and that took a while to develop.</p><ul class="op-related-articles" title="Read:">	<li><strong>Read: </strong> <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/uaap/news/2017/04/25/change-finals-schedule-good-bad-ateneo-25215">Change of Finals schedule &#x27;good and bad&#x27; for Ateneo </a></li></ul><div><strong>Rocky start</strong></div><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/sports/04/27/av.jpg?ext=.jpg"/><figcaption><div class="embed-desc">Former Ateneo star Alyssa Valdez watches their UAAP Season 79 game against La Salle. <cite>Arvin Lim, <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/uaap/volleyball/photos">ABS-CBN Sports</a></cite></div></figcaption></figure></div><p>The post-Valdez era actually started on a rocky note, as Ateneo suffered early losses in the V-League Collegiate Conference in the summer. However, they made a late run in that tournament, making it all the way to the Finals where they lost to NU. </p><p>That silver medal in the V-League was a massive boost to the Lady Eagles&#x27; confidence, and by the time the UAAP rolled around, they had developed into a solid unit, thanks to training trips to Thailand and Japan. </p><p>&quot;Since kami-kami lang, we have to trust sa isa&#x27;t isa,&quot; said Morente. &quot;Kailangan naminmagbigay ng trsut sa isa&#x27;t isa, at mag-depend kami sa sarili namin, hindi lang sa isang tao.&quot;</p><p>[We had to trust each other and depend on each other, and not just on one player.]</p><p>That trust in each other has turned Ateneo into a vastly different team. For the past five seasons, Valdez had been the epicenter of their offense, and setter Jia Morado maximized her scoring skills. </p><p>As superb as Valdez is, however, it can be argued that Ateneo&#x27;s offense can get one-dimensional with her. This was especially true in crunch time, when opponents sent three blockers to Valdez, knowing that she will inevitably ask for the ball.</p><p>This year, Ateneo&#x27;s offense looks vastly different. Jhoana Maraguinot was expected to be the new ace spiker, and Morado does often goes to her on the wings. But the setter has also formed a truly remarkable connection with middle blocker Bea de Leon for quick plays that frustrate even the best blockers in the UAAP. Morente, of course, can score from virtually anywhere on the court. Ateneo also has an almost ridiculously deep bench, giving Coach Tai Bundit the liberty to field in different combinations of players.</p><p>Does this make them a better team than last year&#x27;s squad, which featured a once-in-a-decade talent in Valdez? It is hard to say. For the players, however, the balanced workload is welcome.</p><p>&quot;I think mas better this year kasi distributed ang bola when it comes to setting,&quot; Morente admitted. &quot;Si Jia, nadi-distribute niya.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Pag nagscri-scrimmage nga kami, parang &#x27;pag nakakalaban ko sila Jia, hindi mo alam kung sino papalo, hindi mo alam kung anong play, hindi mo alam kung ano ang gagawin nila, kasi lahat talaga magko-contribute, lahat talaga gagawin nila yung part nila,&quot; she revealed.</p><p>&quot;I think mas okay kami this year.&quot;</p><p>[It&#x27;s better this year, because Jia can distribute the ball. When we play in scrimmages, I don&#x27;t know who Jia is going to go to or what play she&#x27;ll run. Everyone contributes and does their part. So I think we&#x27;re better this year.]</p><div><strong>&#x27;We can play on our own&#x27;</strong></div><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/sports/04/27/jia-2017-042717.jpg?ext=.jpg"/><figcaption><div class="embed-desc">With Jia Morado pulling the strings, Ateneo became the best spiking team in the UAAP. <cite>Arvin Lim, <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/uaap/volleyball/photos">ABS-CBN Sports</a></cite></div></figcaption></figure></div><p>The ultimate test is still coming up for the Lady Eagles. They will try to dethrone archrivals De La Salle University in the Finals, in what will be the sixth consecutive championship series between the two squads.</p><p>No matter the result of the best-of-3 series, however, it is clear that the Lady Eagles have come to their own in the wake of Valdez&#x27;s graduation. She may continue to be a presence in their games and in their practices, but the team has moved on and moved forward without her.</p><p>&quot;I think nakapag-adjust na kami,&quot; Morado said. &quot;Naka-dalawang elimination round na kami, at naka-isang Final 4 game na kami.&quot;</p><p>[We&#x27;ve already adjusted. We&#x27;ve played two elimination rounds and one Final 4 game.]</p><p>&quot;I think we can play on our own,&quot; she added.</p><p>Of course, they will still miss Valdez, said Morado, especially her remarkable scoring ability. But the setter has complete trust in her teammates, all of whom have improved over the course of the season.</p><p>&quot;&#x27;Yung team namin ngayon, lahat kayang mag-deliver para makalaro kami ng Finals,&quot; Morado said.</p><p>[The team that we have can deliver when we play in the Finals.]</p><p>(For more sports coverage, visit the ABS-CBN <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com" target="_blank">Sports website.</a>)</p>

<p>Alyssa Valdez may have already graduated from the Ateneo de Manila University, but she continues to cast a long shadow over the school's women's volleyball program.</p>

Alyssa Valdez may have already graduated from the Ateneo de Manila University, but she continues to cast a long shadow over the school's women's volleyball program.

Ateneo Lady Eagles come into their own in post-Alyssa era

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Ateneo Lady Eagles come into their own in post-Alyssa era

Camille B. Naredo,

ABS-CBN News

Published April 27, 2017 06:26 PM PHT

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Updated April 27, 2017 07:43 PM PHT

Read More:

UAAP

UAAP Season 79

UAAP volleyball

Ateneo Lady Eagles

Alyssa Valdez

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