ADAMSON steadied its turbulent first-round flight with a 25-18, 25-16, 25-19 win over the University of the Philippines in UAAP Season 88 women’s volleyball on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The Lady Falcons went up-and-down in form in the first half of the season, following up each win with a loss and each loss with a win seven games in.
But as the duo of Shaina Nitura and Frances Mordi continues to gather steam, Adamson proved too much for the shorthanded Fighting Maroons who slid to three straight losses after a promising 3-1 start.
The 19-year-old Nigerian winger delivered the finishing touches, scoring the final two attacks to seal the straight sets win as she finished with 17 points, seven digs and five receptions.
It was not the usual sky-high outing from Nitura, but her 14 points along with four digs and four receptions were more than enough to complement Mordi’s dominant display.
Eloi Dote added eight points while Lhouiz Tuddao chipped in five as best setter frontrunner Fhei Sagaysay orchestrated the offense with 20 excellent sets and five points.
“Sabi ko nga lagi sa kanila, it’s always about the test of our confidence kasi ‘yung skills naman na kailangan, kaya na natin i-trabaho dito but always, it’s about ‘yung character talaga during bad situations and how we respond properly,” said Adamson head coach JP Yude, who is now off to his best first round start at the helm with a 4-3 record.
The Lady Falcons controlled the opening set from start to finish, stretching their lead to as much as six at 18-12 behind two of Marie Joy Aseo’s three service aces.
Mordi then took over in the second frame, pushing Adamson’s advantage to seven while also creating space for Sagaysay to sneak in a couple of drop shots that helped the Lady Falcons race to a two sets to none lead.
The third set proved more competitive, but even as the Fighting Maroons cut the deficit to four at 19-23 through a kill block on Mordi and her own attack error, the Nigerian winger made sure to close the door by scoring the final two points.
Not enough fight
Now without Nitura’s former high school teammate Casiey Dongallo for the remainder of the season, UP struggled to find consistent offense as no Fighting Maroon reached double digits.
Fina Ali led the scoring with eight points, while middle blocker Bienne Bansil and captain Joan Monares added seven apiece, with the latter coming off the bench.
Nina Ytang was limited to five markers in a match where she spent more time attacking from the opposite spot rather than her usual middle blocker role.
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