THROUGH yet another difficult campaign, Ateneo showed it can still put up One Big Fight.
The Blue Eagles triumphed in their penultimate UAAP Season 88 women’s volleyball match with a 25-23, 25-19, 29-27 sweep of University of the East on Saturday at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
The Lady Warriors remain the blue-and-white's lone victim this season, as the latter completed a tournament sweep of the former for the second straight year.
Also for the second season in a row, UE closes its campaign without a win, extending its drought to 28 games.
Ateneo takes flight
Rookie winger Ana Hermosura flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 11 points, 11 digs, and nine receptions. Jihan Chuatico anchored the net with five blocks en route to 12 points, while J.Lo Delos Santos punctuated the win with a service ace, ending with seven points, seven digs, and four receptions.
Taking over playmaking duties from senior skipper Taks Fujimoto, KC Cortez dished out 22 excellent sets and added four points.
“We need to try to do our best all the time. No matter if we start good or not, we just need to fight all the time,” said head coach Sergio Veloso.
Ateneo edged a tight opening set behind timely hits from Hermosura, then built a commanding 19-9 lead in the second before UE trimmed it to 22-19, only to fade late.
The third set turned into a scrappy affair, with the Lady Warriors even reaching three set points before back-to-back errors handed the Blue Eagles two match points, capped by Delos Santos’ ace.
Khy Cepada and Van Bangayan combined for 30 points, but it was not enough to tow UE to long-awaited victory.
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