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28 November 2007 UST prevails, winning the game that mattered most

It was the game that mattered most. Having the same record of 8-3 during the Shakey’s V-League semi-finals, the Lady Eagles and Lady Tigers had to battle for the 3rd time in a playoff match to determine the No.2 spot. And UST prevailed, defeating Ateneo in 4 exhilarating sets: 25-17, 25-23, 23-25, 25-19. Best Scorers were Suzanne Roces of UST with 27 won points, and Lithawat Kesinee of Ateneo with 23 points. UST had earned the right to face San Sebastian College for the finals in a best of three series. Battle for third place will be between Ateneo and Adamson.

It was already the start of the second set by the time I got inside The Arena. UST won the first set in a commanding 25-17 score. The crowd was filled with UST fans holding their “Go UST” cartolina posters and hotdog-shaped yellow balloons. As for the blue and white supporters, I’m sure there were a lot but it was obvious that the UST fans dominated the Arena. Like a diesel engine that needs time to warm up, Ateneo struggled up until the start of the second set. They almost made it but the Tigers managed to snatch the set away at 25-23.

I think it was during the third set (or maybe the second) when Lady Eagle Patty Taganas injured her jumping left knee. She literally was crying in pain. Hope it’s not a career-threatening ACL injury like what I had. The incident seemed to have affected the Eagles in a positive way as they started to fight back and play their true game at this point. Kesinee and Soriano were Ateneo’s main offense. Ateneo finally won a set at 23-35.

Defense is the best offense

Defense is the best offense. This has been the case during the Ateneo vs UST playoff match. The game was won by the team who defended the ball better than the other team. From start to finish, the Lady Tigers were all over the court. I must say that coach Santa Maria and his team really prepared well for this match. UST was able to anticipate almost every offensive play Ateneo tried. UST read the ball so well you can see Denise Tan smiling (or maybe sneering, or maybe smirking? whatever) moments before she made a perfect dig from a hard-hitting Kesinee spike. Suzanne Roces provided points for her team via her veteran running attacks and middle spikes, and as well as her defensive skills. So what do you get when your team defends the ball well? Well, it’s pretty obvious. You get to convert more points simply by having more attempts at killing the ball than your opponent. And with players like Mary Jean Balse, Vernus Bernal, and the crowd favorite Angeli Tabaquero, offense has never been a problem for UST.

Defense was the key! After defeating UST twice during the elimination rounds, Ateneo lost to UST in the game that mattered most.

Here’s the revised Shakey’s V-League Season 4 Second Conference finals game sked:

Shakeyâ€™s V-League Season 4 Second Conference - Finals sked (as of November 27, 2007)

SEE ALL THE ACTION AT THE PHOTO GALLERY

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