16 March 2019
By Ardyn Gonzales
The Ateneo de Manila University Lady Eagles recovered from a set down to defeat the National University Lady Bulldogs in four sets, 23-25, 25-17, 25-23, 25-17, for their sixth consecutive win in the UAAP Season 81 women’s volleyball tournament, Saturday, at the FilOil Flying-V Arena in San Juan.
Ateneo lost control in the first set after wasting a four-point advantage that gave the opportunity to NU to fight back and snatch the lead. With Cess Robles doing some damage, the Lady Bulldogs were able to turn things around and stole the first set via an off-the-block hit from senior Audrey Paran.
But the Lady Eagles quickly responded to the challenge, winning the next three sets as NU suffered from their unforced errors while Ateneo minimized theirs to just 13.
NU ran out of gas in the fourth set as after overcoming a six-point deficit, 14-15, the Lady Eagles suddenly went on a run to pull away and build another huge cushion. A clutch one-two play from Deanna Wong completed the Ateneo’s sixth win in the elimination round.
Maddie Madayag was all over the statistics as she led Ateneo with 17 points on 10 attacks, 3 kill blocks, and team-high 4 service aces. Bea de Leon was not far behind with 13 points of her own.
Cess Robles once again shined for NU with 18 points, while Jennifer Nierva dominated the defense with 29 excellent digs and 30 excellent receptions.
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