by KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Games Sunday (The Arena, San Juan)
2 p.m. – Army vs Maynilad
4 p.m. – Air Force vs Navy
MANILA, Philippines — Ateneo recovered from an opening set loss to repulse Philippine Navy, 13-25, 25-20, 25-23, 25-19, and secure a playoff for the last semis berth in the Shakey's V-League Season 8 Open Conference Thursday at The Arena in San Juan.
Team captain Fille Cainglet and Alyssa Valdez produced another sterling performance, erupting for 21 and 17 points, respectively, as the Lady Eagles clinched their second straight win in four outings in the single-round robin quarterfinals.
Suzanne Roces and Nene Bautista drilled in 22 and 20 points, respectively, for the Lady Sailors but those were not enough to stop Ateneo’s firepower.
They dropped to 1-3.
Ateneo’s win was greatly helped b y the absence of Navy's top defender Micmic Laborte, who was advised to rest for a week after spraining her right ankle in last week's game against San Sebastian.
"Malaking factor yung pagkawala ni Laborte sa kanila," said Ateneo coach Parley Tupaz. "Bad start kami, ang sama ng reception namin. Buti unti-unting gumana sa mga next sets."
The win was a revenge of sorts for the Lady Eagles who absorbed a 25-18, 25-23, 25-21 loss to the Lady Sailors in the elims.
Angeline Gervacio also had some fine moments as she finished with 15 points, including four points from the service area, and two blocks.
Drama started to build late in the third frame as Navy almost wiped out a 24-17 deficit as it unleashed six straight points to pull itself within 23-24.
But Navy’s comeback was finally repelled when Cainglet came through with a thunderous smash.
It was almost the same script in the fourth when the Lady Sailors rallied from a 24-16 deficit and moved within 24-19. However, they failed to sustain their momentum and eventually gave up the match.
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