ATENEO de Manila completed its short work of De La Salle, 25-22, 25-17, 25-23, not only to repeat as champions but make University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) women’s volleyball history on Saturday.
The Lady Eagles booked a 16-game season sweep—a first in the league—before 20,705 fans who filled the Mall of Asia Arena, almost half of them hoping for a miracle that the Lady Spikers, down two women because of injuries, would at least extend the series.
The Lady Spikers also swept the 14-game eliminations in the 2004 season but the step-ladder semifinal format was not in place and claimed the title outright.
Ateneo captain Alyssa Valdez, who earlier in the day hoisted the Most Valuable, Best Scorer and Best Server trophies, was again the focal point of the title-clinching victory, scoring 20 points off 19 attacks.
But Valdez did not do it alone. Michelle Morente, Isabelle de Leon and Amy Ahomiro scored 10 points each for the Lady Eagles who, despite making it look so easy in the one hour and 17 minutes contest, faced a stiff challenge from the wobbling Lady Spikers.
Without Ara Galang and Camille Mary Cruz, both nursing torn ligaments in their knees, Cyd Demecillo and Mary Joy Baron had their hands full in leading the De La Salle’s attack which fell short against the well-oiled Ateneo game.
Ahomiro, a foreign student athlete from New Zealand, got her share of the honors after she was named Finals MVP. The season’s Best Receiver Denden Lazaro also made sure she played her last season in an Ateneo uniform with a flourish by collecting 16 digs and eight receptions.
“We feel so honored to have this opportunity [to win the championship via a 16-game sweep]. We definitely worked hard for it, and so did the other teams, too,” Ahomiro said.
“So, it’s a weird feeling to be undefeated. We never went into games thinking about that, we always thought that once we won one game, the next game we enter we don’t think about the number of games we won or we haven’t won,” Ahomiro added. “We just took it one game at a time, and the outcome was 16-0.”
De La Salle’s second-year middle hitter Mary Joy Baron finished with nine points. Mika Reyes added eight markers, while Desiree Cheng made a rare start this season and contributed six points.
Also playing out their last season for Ateneo were the high-leaping Ella de Jesus and Aerieal Patnongon.
Drowned in the Ateneo celebration on one side of the court was De La Salle’s heart-warming gesture of sportsmanship.
The Lady Spikers—including the coaching staff and management team—stayed close to their bench at the other side of the court and watched the Lady Eagles celebrate their historic victory.
Image credits: Kevin dela Cruz