Alas, the long wait is over. The UAAP Women’s Volleyball Tournament is complete again. La Salle is back from a year-long suspension. A lot of teams are predicted to be stronger this season. UST, of course, is composed of RP Team players and is still the top contender because they are the defending champions. Ateneo is predicted to make waves because though they lost Kesinee, a Thai player who played for Ateneo in the V-League, they will be supported by a blonde American in Crystal Ballentyne plus of course, their Thailand Training last Semestral Break. Adamson, is likewise, predicted to give a bang after a much improvement in the V-League even though they lost a couple of key players. FEU can still be considered a contender having lost only Manalo and Astorga. Though they lost these two, these were well-replaced in the form of Gonzalez and Jose. La Salle, is taking up the challenge to prove that UST is an asterisk champion, as they want to prove that UST’s championship is nothing but a fluke because they were suspended and that they could’ve been 4-peat champions, a thing last done by Ateneo and UP in the 80s. UP, young as they are, proved to us last year that they can keep pace with the heavyweights by having close games with Adamson, UE, Ateneo, etc. NU, poses a great threat too as they are rookie-laden, the coach brags his girls’ floor defense and specialty in serving. UE, wants to prove that even without star player Roces, can still make it in the Final Four because they still have a solid core in Soriano, Rivera, Alanguilan, Guevarra, and the others.

First Game: UST vs Adamson
I don’t know guys but don’t you notice that whenever Adamson plays UST, they always have a good game? I don’t know if it it’s a grudge or something but everytime Adamson meets UST, they always give UST a hard time. Adamson started strong by getting the first two sets, 25-22 and 27-25 with sophomore Benting doing the damage and the help of Laguilles. UST, then played in true form in the next sets as they grabbed the 3rd and 4th set, 25-19 and 25-21. The 5th set was down the wire and adjustments were really necessary for every point. When UST had a set point, 14-13, Adamson had a chance to tie it but an out attack by Benting caused UST to bag the opener.

Adamson, as usual, played excellent floor defense while UST, still reeling the loss of Roces, Maizo and Gutierrez, had a hard time adjusting. Aside from that, Adamson got used to playing in the morning in the University Games, where they were crowned as the National Champions, while UST seems to be new in this time slot. Tabaquero and Bernal were the usual damage makers for UST.

2nd Game: La Salle vs UP
Like in their UAAP Men’s Basketball opener, La Salle opened their season on a high-note. The last minute deduction of Santos and Saet wasn’t a problem as La Salle trashed UP, 25-10, 25-21, 25-10. The first set saw Mercado dominating the attacking zone and killing the floor defense of UP. The second set saw UP led all throughout the set but made errors in the last portion of the set. The third set was a different story as UP got demoralized from their 2nd set loss.

Setting was a problem for both squads as both teams had new setters. One good thing about this match-up is that these are the two teams with the best blockers. That’s why if you’ve watched the game, you’d see how many times points were scored from blocks. Notable is the performance of RP Team player Castaneda as she was unstoppable. She couldn’t get help from her other teammates though because their attacks were well-read. Mercado was a revelation in their first game. Will she be consistent throughout the season?

3rd Match: FEU vs UE
Missing key player Daquis, FEU still had no problems in beating the young but tall UE squad. FEU had a so-so performance in the first set as floor defense was absent throughout the game. FEU still won the game, 25-20, but with the help of a service error from Rosale of UE. The next two sets, were identical not just in scoring but in the plays as well as FEU dominated the attacks and floor defense.

Gonzales, rookie as she is, sent a strong message while Morada, though having a sore eye, still had an easy time with regards to attacking. Semana, is still Semana. Her sets are still unpredictable as well as her down-the-line spikes which made the crowd go “woah!”. The game had several rallies which excited the crowd but still, breaks of the game went to FEU. Determination and experience made FEU win while Coach Reyes’ Recto Squad has much to learn.

4th Match: Ateneo vs NU
Ateneo is predicted to come out strong this coming UAAP because of their achievements in different leagues and their Thailand Training. NU, though with nine rookies, still says that they have the floor defense and serving to match-up with Ateneo.

Ateneo had a so-so performance in the 1st and 2nd set with a poor floor defense and poor blocking. NU had a field day in attacking into the almost-none defense of Ateneo in the 1st and 2nd set. Relaxing or underestimation was maybe the factor why they lay low in these sets, thinking that they can win against NU easily. NU proved that wrong as NU even won a set, 26-24. The service and floor defense of NU proved to be true as NU had 9 servince aces all in all, and 5 of them came from team setter Mangui.

The 3rd and 4th set was a different story. Ateneo dominated and left behind their opponents. This was reminiscient of their V-League games in which after losing a game, they would stand or wake up and win with hunger and determination. After losing the 2nd set, they pushed theirselves hard and played in a serious fashion. Ballentyne, who just learned to play volleyball for around 3 or 4 weeks, surprised a lot with her down-the-line and cross-court spikes as they were really not a typical i-just-learned-to-play-volleyball spikes as they were really in a form of an exclamation point. Pascual, is improving in terms of attacking and so as Taganas, who got in true form after having a thigh injury in the V-League. Of course, the hero for Ateneo is no less than Soriano who made 28 points, 24 coming from attacks and 3 from blocks. Playing a middle position this time, Soriano proved that she can be a versatile player as she unleashed a lot of booming spikes that really amazed the spectators, yes, even the NU fans.

The game disappointed Coach Ronald Dulay that he even held practice after because of such game. Assistant Coach Oliver Almadro said that they played sluggishly and that they should be back in true form since their next opponent would be defending champions UST. He said that against UST, it will be a new drama as there will be a new system. In V-League, Soriano and Acevedo played Open while Kesinee and Pascual played Middle. This time, it will be different as he shuffled all the players’ position. Another thing is that, Ateneo only lost Kesinee, yes a big contributor, but he pointed out that UST also lost Roces and Maizo, who when combined, averaged 25 points per game. Floor defense will be a very big factor since attacking-wise, Ateneo can match-up well against UST.

You can leave a response to this post, or trackback from your own site.