(Photo by Roy Afable)The defending champs have completed the 14-0 sweep in the elimination round and advanced to the Finals. After the stepladder matches were all said and done, the Ateneo Lady Spikers came out the victors and earned the right to face them for the title.
Who can forget their epic battle in the 2nd round of the eliminations a couple of weeks ago? It was one of the longest volleyball matches in the UAAP so far. It was a hard fought win for the La Salle as Ateneo gave them run for their money, quite literally took them 5 sets to finally vanquish them.
In this championship match, it won’t be an easy task for them to defeat a team like Ateneo that has never won championship in Volleyball. Their hungry blue rivals are without a doubt going to give them a good fight. With their unblemished intact, the Lady Spikers mettle will be tested once again as they defend their title. Without further ado, here are 5 ways to beat Ateneo:
Rack up those points
(Photo by Roy Afable)The Lady Spikers have no problems in this department. The Big M.A.C. – Michele Gumabao, Abby Marano and team captain Cha Cruz got them covered. However in their last match against the Lady Eagles a couple of weeks ago, they had a hard time scoring points on the attack. Somehow, Ateneo managed to contain their offense thus unable to get their rhythm going in the process.
Getting into the offensive early on and consistency in scoring off of attacks must be established in the first set. Ateneo may have had them at the time with their attack variations perhaps it’s time they do the same as well. With the best frontline in Volleyball, they can give Ateneo’s defense a run for their money.
Minimize errors
(Photo by Roy Afable)While committing unforced errors can’t be avoided but making too much of them can’t be good. This has always been a problem for the Lady Spikers was evident in their last game. Clearly, Coach Ramil De Jesus has been addressing this to his girls for some time. Amidst those errors, they still managed to keep winning nonetheless.
Most of their errors come from the serves and ball receptions. If they take of this predicament and minimize those mistakes, they won’t have a difficult time creating plays and scoring.
Rookie Power
(Photo by Roy Afable)Of all the teams in UAAP Women’s Volleyball, the Lady Spikers not only have the best starting 6 but also quite a deep bench as well. Rookies Ara Galang and Mika Reyes are making heads turn because of their plays. Galang is usually with the starting line up while Reyes is often in the rotation for Michele Gumabao and Abby Marano.
With these two rookies on their team, expect them a whole lot of contributions offensively and on the defensive end from them. And yes, they are damn tall as well. With a deep bench at his helm, Coach Ramil won’t hesitate using any of them for some added fire power.
The 1-0 advantage
(Photo by Roy Afable)With the 14-0 sweep in the elimination round, they easily advanced to the Finals and earned a 1-0 edge of whoever their opponent may be. That feat was almost achieved last year a controversy on one of the players of La Salle lost a game via a technicality. Despite it all, that footnote on their win streak last season was erased quickly when they won the championship.
This time around though, things went their way and that undefeated streak became a reality. However, even with that 1-0 edge in the Finals doesn’t guarantee them the hardware.
Their hard fought 5-setter win against Ateneo had them put on notice. The Lady Eagles are definitely no pushovers and they’re out to win the title as well.
They may have been to a lot of games that were played in 5 sets, there’s no doubt that can get it done.
Heart of a champion
(Photo by Roy Afable)Going back to their most recent against the Lady Eagles, the defending champs proved time and again that they weren’t fazed with teams that gave them a few setbacks even in a rivalry match like that. When their backs are against the wall, they would show everybody that they are the defending champs.
They are definitely that play their guts out no matter what. Their composure and poise in those 5-setter games is something to admire about. Above anything else, if they wanna defende their title successfully, they must play with a lot of intensity and heart.
They are gonna need it when it gets down the wire.
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