http://www.ateneo.edu/index.php?p=120&type=2&sec=27&aid=6176
That Gritty Almost-Won Game
Ateneo vs. Adamson
25-22, 22-25, 15-25, 25-15, 8-15
by rick olivares
That Gritty Almost-Won Game
Ateneo vs. Adamson
25-22, 22-25, 15-25, 25-15, 8-15
by rick olivares
You know that saying about how some losses are actually moral victories? Some times they're cop out and some times they're not.
But in the case of the Ateneo Lady Spikers' five-set loss to Adamson to start out their Season 71 campaign, they certainly made a statement that rather than fold when down two sets to one, they'll battle, claw, and rally their way through every match.
To understand the severity of that statement, one must go back to Season 70 of the UAAP Women's Volleyball tournament.
Heading into January 9, 2008, the Lady Spikers were tied for second at 3-1 with FEU right behind with frontrunning UST, the defending champions. Their next assignment was a pre-tourney favorite to contend, the Adamson Lady Falcons.
The match was the second one scheduled that day and it began a few minutes before 10 o'clock in the morning. And it sowed the seeds for this campaign.
Ateneo went into the game in high spirits but they were soon dampened as their foes made short work of them in the first two sets 25-14 and 25-13 in a superb display of blocking and hitting.
Early in the fourth quarter, setter Karla Bello injured her ankle further that stymied Ateneo's attack. A few minutes later, middle blocker Bea Pascual rose for a twisting spike but landed awkwardly and with a shriek that silenced the Blue Eagle Gym crowd of a few hundred. It took a few minutes before she was carried out with an ACL injury that would knock her out of the tournament.
Although Pascual's injury galvanized the team in the third set, they still fell 25-22 and it cast a pall of uncertainty on the season.
Ateneo did finish with a 8-6 record; it's best ever in the tournament and it was good enough for its first-ever Final Four berth. But they were 6-0 against the top three squads of the league. And awaiting them in the semis were the Falcons.
Just as it was in the elimination rounds, Adamson swept Ateneo in all their sets for a perfect 9-0. Every game was finished in an hour and 15 minutes.
It was a crazy off-season as the team saw the exit of coach Ronald Dulay who moved down the road to UP. San Sebastian's legendary coach Roger Gorayeb was brought in and almost immediately, the team was overhauled.
"We need a change in our mindset and in our attitude towards the game of volleyball," said Gorayeb who was fresh from his V-League conquest of UST. "And for now I only need these 10 players."
The only holdovers were Pascual, Kara Acevedo, Steph Gabriel, Misha Quimpo, and Averil Paje. And there were five rookies -- Fille Cainglet, Angeline Gervacio, Gretchen Ho, Jamenea Ferrer, and Aillysse Nacachi.
Pascual, only in her junior year, inherited the mantle of team captain. "It's a young team and we've got an exciting future ahead of us," she says. "It's an honor din to be asked to lead the team."
Cainglet and Gervacio are from St. Scholastica's College where they led the Junior Scions to back-to-back WNCAA volleyball crowns. Cainglet was MVP for three years running while Gervacio was ajudged the Best Attacker in last year's Juniors tournament.
Gretchen Ho was Acevedo's teammate at Immaculate Concepcion Academy where they formed a fearsome attack line along with Chyna Ledesma.
The Lady Spikers' new setter is Jamenea Ferrer who is from Hope Christian High School. She distinguished herself in the Shakeys Girls V-League where she led her school to the title and was hailed as Best Setter and MVP for her superb efforts.
The last rookie is Aillysse Carol Nacachi, a middle blocker from Canossa Academy.
The Lady Falcons too unveiled their new look. Gone were their heavy hitters in setter Janet Serafica, wing spiker Jackie So and Michaelle Segodine. But they also featured a high-scoring rookie in Paulina Soriano.
In the first set, featuring an energized attack and some good blocking with Pascual back in the middle, Ateneo took the first set 25-22.
Falcons Coach Minerva Pante returned the favor by having her players come out with an energized attack that found open floor in the Ateneo defense. Incredibly, a 10-minute brownout delayed the second set and cooled down the Lady Spikers when they found their bearings. The repsite allowed Adamson to settle down and they upended Ateneo for their own 25-22 win in the second set.
Unable to regain their momentum, Ateneo fell into a deep hole 10-3 early in the third set and were unable to mount a rally as the Lady Falcons were a set away from notching their first win of the season.
But the lights went out once more and the resulting 10-minute delay allowed Ateneo to soothe their nerves and focus on their game plan. They went back to the court with renewed purpose and took the fourth set 25-15 and the stage was set for a pulsating finish.
The fifth set had all the makings of a close game that would go down the wire as both exchanged points for an early 4-4 tie. Then a spate of errors and lapses in defense allowed Adamson to finally put away Ateneo 15-8.
"Sayang," said Gorayeb as he smacked his hands together after the match. "May chance manalo. Pero maganda rin pinakita ng mnga bata. Hindi sumuko at lumaban. Pag nag-click na mga yan lalong gaganda yung laro nila."
Gervacio and Cainglet led the team in scoring with 16 points apiece while Acevedo and Ho both chipped in 11. Pascual, who showed no tentativeness in doing battle at the net, added 5 while Ferrer finished with 4.
Gorayeb sat down and allowed himself to relax. He was pretty worked out in the last two hours. He hoped for a first win in his first-ever UAAP stint. It wasn't so much for himself but his team and his girls. He stood and patted Acevedo on the cheek and joined his team for a post-game huddle.
But in the case of the Ateneo Lady Spikers' five-set loss to Adamson to start out their Season 71 campaign, they certainly made a statement that rather than fold when down two sets to one, they'll battle, claw, and rally their way through every match.
To understand the severity of that statement, one must go back to Season 70 of the UAAP Women's Volleyball tournament.
Heading into January 9, 2008, the Lady Spikers were tied for second at 3-1 with FEU right behind with frontrunning UST, the defending champions. Their next assignment was a pre-tourney favorite to contend, the Adamson Lady Falcons.
The match was the second one scheduled that day and it began a few minutes before 10 o'clock in the morning. And it sowed the seeds for this campaign.
Ateneo went into the game in high spirits but they were soon dampened as their foes made short work of them in the first two sets 25-14 and 25-13 in a superb display of blocking and hitting.
Early in the fourth quarter, setter Karla Bello injured her ankle further that stymied Ateneo's attack. A few minutes later, middle blocker Bea Pascual rose for a twisting spike but landed awkwardly and with a shriek that silenced the Blue Eagle Gym crowd of a few hundred. It took a few minutes before she was carried out with an ACL injury that would knock her out of the tournament.
Although Pascual's injury galvanized the team in the third set, they still fell 25-22 and it cast a pall of uncertainty on the season.
Ateneo did finish with a 8-6 record; it's best ever in the tournament and it was good enough for its first-ever Final Four berth. But they were 6-0 against the top three squads of the league. And awaiting them in the semis were the Falcons.
Just as it was in the elimination rounds, Adamson swept Ateneo in all their sets for a perfect 9-0. Every game was finished in an hour and 15 minutes.
It was a crazy off-season as the team saw the exit of coach Ronald Dulay who moved down the road to UP. San Sebastian's legendary coach Roger Gorayeb was brought in and almost immediately, the team was overhauled.
"We need a change in our mindset and in our attitude towards the game of volleyball," said Gorayeb who was fresh from his V-League conquest of UST. "And for now I only need these 10 players."
The only holdovers were Pascual, Kara Acevedo, Steph Gabriel, Misha Quimpo, and Averil Paje. And there were five rookies -- Fille Cainglet, Angeline Gervacio, Gretchen Ho, Jamenea Ferrer, and Aillysse Nacachi.
Pascual, only in her junior year, inherited the mantle of team captain. "It's a young team and we've got an exciting future ahead of us," she says. "It's an honor din to be asked to lead the team."
Cainglet and Gervacio are from St. Scholastica's College where they led the Junior Scions to back-to-back WNCAA volleyball crowns. Cainglet was MVP for three years running while Gervacio was ajudged the Best Attacker in last year's Juniors tournament.
Gretchen Ho was Acevedo's teammate at Immaculate Concepcion Academy where they formed a fearsome attack line along with Chyna Ledesma.
The Lady Spikers' new setter is Jamenea Ferrer who is from Hope Christian High School. She distinguished herself in the Shakeys Girls V-League where she led her school to the title and was hailed as Best Setter and MVP for her superb efforts.
The last rookie is Aillysse Carol Nacachi, a middle blocker from Canossa Academy.
The Lady Falcons too unveiled their new look. Gone were their heavy hitters in setter Janet Serafica, wing spiker Jackie So and Michaelle Segodine. But they also featured a high-scoring rookie in Paulina Soriano.
In the first set, featuring an energized attack and some good blocking with Pascual back in the middle, Ateneo took the first set 25-22.
Falcons Coach Minerva Pante returned the favor by having her players come out with an energized attack that found open floor in the Ateneo defense. Incredibly, a 10-minute brownout delayed the second set and cooled down the Lady Spikers when they found their bearings. The repsite allowed Adamson to settle down and they upended Ateneo for their own 25-22 win in the second set.
Unable to regain their momentum, Ateneo fell into a deep hole 10-3 early in the third set and were unable to mount a rally as the Lady Falcons were a set away from notching their first win of the season.
But the lights went out once more and the resulting 10-minute delay allowed Ateneo to soothe their nerves and focus on their game plan. They went back to the court with renewed purpose and took the fourth set 25-15 and the stage was set for a pulsating finish.
The fifth set had all the makings of a close game that would go down the wire as both exchanged points for an early 4-4 tie. Then a spate of errors and lapses in defense allowed Adamson to finally put away Ateneo 15-8.
"Sayang," said Gorayeb as he smacked his hands together after the match. "May chance manalo. Pero maganda rin pinakita ng mnga bata. Hindi sumuko at lumaban. Pag nag-click na mga yan lalong gaganda yung laro nila."
Gervacio and Cainglet led the team in scoring with 16 points apiece while Acevedo and Ho both chipped in 11. Pascual, who showed no tentativeness in doing battle at the net, added 5 while Ferrer finished with 4.
Gorayeb sat down and allowed himself to relax. He was pretty worked out in the last two hours. He hoped for a first win in his first-ever UAAP stint. It wasn't so much for himself but his team and his girls. He stood and patted Acevedo on the cheek and joined his team for a post-game huddle.
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