V-League: NU dethrones Ateneo, wins first crown

(Updated 5:30pm) The National University Lady Bulldogs defeated back-to-back titlists Ateneo Lady Eagles, 25-23, 25-20, 17-25, 26-24 on Sunday to become 1st Conference champions of the Shakey's V-League 10th season, at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.

The Ateneo Lady Eagles were on the cusp of forcing a do-or-die fifth set but the Lady Bulldogs managed to pull through with a smart play from Rubie De Leon and a kill from Dindin Santiago, to emerge on top for the first time in the league.

Ateneo had swept the first of the best-of-three Finals series 25-15, 25-22, 25-23, but NU rallied back in game two 26-24, 25-23, 25-22 to force a winner-take-all third game.

Rubie De Leon was named Finals Most Valuable Player. The guest player and former Philippine team member was consistent all throughout the series, but it was her last point that ultimately allowed Dindin Santiago to finish the game and give their team the championship.

"Hindi pa naman natatapos ang laban," De Leon told her teammates as they were facing a two-point deficit late in the fourth set. "Kailangan kumapit tayo."

Coach Edjet Mabbayad had high praise for his star setter and the rest of his team. "Pinakita niya na beterano siya. Dinala niya yung team," Mabbayad said. "Maganda yung tulungan nila at maganda ang execution nila."

He added that despite the Lady Eagles comeback, "Nakita namin yung maturity ng mga bata, nakita namin yung dedication nila na gusto nila manalo.

"Natutuwa kami ni coach Ariel [De Leon], dahil yung pinaghirapan namin, nakita namin yung resulta."

The NU Lady Bulldogs got off to a hot start in the first set with Dindin Santiago opening the set with her frontline offense, leading up to an 8-4 advantage over the crowd-favorite Lady Eagles.

NU was in full control of the match, with De Leon contributing well for the Lady Bulldogs. Not only was she active in scoring via smartly-placed shots, she also managed a couple of points off some well-timed blocks.

Fille Cainglet put together back-to-back points, while Jeng Bualee was her usual offensive-juggernaut self. As a result, the game reached deadlocks at 21-all and 22-all, giving Ateneo some hope of a completing a comeback. However, it was Myla Pablo who delivered for the Lady Bulldogs, as her aggressiveness handed NU the first set win at 25-23.

The second set featured a similar story, as NU exploded out of the gates, to take a 5-0 lead. However, off back-to-back service aces from Alyssa Valdez and a spark from Rachel Daquis, the Lady Eagles were able to crawl a bit closer at 16-14.

With Bualee and Jem Ferrer stepping up for Ateneo, the Lady Eagles were able to claim an 18-17 lead. However, that turned out to be the last push for the Lady Eagles in the set as Dindin Santiago provided unstoppable offense for the Lady Bulldogs. Carmina Aganon then wrapped up the second set, 25-20, putting NU a set away from the title.

The Lady Bulldogs cruised to an 8-2 lead by the first technical timeout, but unfortunately for them, unforced errors and some big-time production from Marge Tejada propelled the Lady Eagles out front at 16-13 by the second technical timeout.

Rachel Daquis used the momentum to her favor, as she pushed the Ateneo lead to seven at 22-15. Alyssa Valdez then finished off the set at 25-17, off back-to-back spikes for the Lady Eagles.

The fourth set started with the Lady Bulldogs claiming a 7-4 advantage over the Lady Eagles. However, the NU lead was quickly erased at 8-7, care of Alyssa Valdez’s cleanly-hit spikes and Fille Cainglet’s deadeye accuracy in the service zone.
 
The NU attackers were well matched with Ateneo’s Valdez and Daquis as both teams exchanged the lead multiple times. The Lady Eagles managed to escape with a four-point buffer at 17-13, but the Lady Bulldogs quickly answered back with three straight points markers, getting within a point, 17-16.

With the match going down the stretch, the Lady Eagles committed three crucial service errors, including one from Jem Ferrer that put the Lady Bulldogs closer at 24-23. Rubie De Leon then pulled off a well-placed shot and a Dindin Santiago attack delivered the win at 26-24.

Dindin Santiago led all scorers with 17 big points. Three NU players came next on the scoring charts with 13 apiece, namely Carmina Aganon, Rubie De Leon and Myla Pablo. Alyja Santiago added also added 12.

Alyssa Valdez led the Blue and White with 16 markers, while guest players Rachel Daquis and Jeng Bualee scored 15 each. - CLP, GMA News