A fabled era comes to an abrupt ending, no one saw coming.
Displaying their championship form all game long, the Ateneo Lady Eagles conquered the De La Salle Lady Spikers in historic fashion with a 25-23, 26-24, 25-21 straight sets victory in Game 4 of the UAAP Season 76 women's volleyball finals on Saturday in front of a record crowd inside the Mall of Asia Arena.
Inspired by their 'heartstrong' battlecry, Ateneo flashed nerves of steel in the end to finally take down the Taft Avenue wall before a frenetic crowd, ending their three-year reign and possibly ushering the start of a new legacy.
It is the first ever women's volleyball title as well for the Lady Eagles, who finally breached the runner-up mark and finished on top after three consecutive attempts.
It is the first string of back-to-back losses for the La Salle side, which will yield the crown for the first time in four seasons.
Season MVP Alyssa Valdez fired 21 points including the championship-clinching spike in the third set in front of 21, 314 people in attendance. She was hailed Finals MVP.
In the first set, Alyssa Valdez, Michelle Morente, and Amy Ahomiro - the heroes in Game 3 - caught fire early, as Ateneo zoomed to a 15-10 lead. The Lady Spikers battled back, even grabbing the lead at 19-18 although Valdez fired the decisive as Ateneo went 1-0.
Displaying their championship form all game long, the Ateneo Lady Eagles conquered the De La Salle Lady Spikers in historic fashion with a 25-23, 26-24, 25-21 straight sets victory in Game 4 of the UAAP Season 76 women's volleyball finals on Saturday in front of a record crowd inside the Mall of Asia Arena.
Inspired by their 'heartstrong' battlecry, Ateneo flashed nerves of steel in the end to finally take down the Taft Avenue wall before a frenetic crowd, ending their three-year reign and possibly ushering the start of a new legacy.
It is the first ever women's volleyball title as well for the Lady Eagles, who finally breached the runner-up mark and finished on top after three consecutive attempts.
It is the first string of back-to-back losses for the La Salle side, which will yield the crown for the first time in four seasons.
Season MVP Alyssa Valdez fired 21 points including the championship-clinching spike in the third set in front of 21, 314 people in attendance. She was hailed Finals MVP.
In the first set, Alyssa Valdez, Michelle Morente, and Amy Ahomiro - the heroes in Game 3 - caught fire early, as Ateneo zoomed to a 15-10 lead. The Lady Spikers battled back, even grabbing the lead at 19-18 although Valdez fired the decisive as Ateneo went 1-0.
La Salle responded with vengeance in the second set, firing a 7-1 run early, which transformed into a 17-11 bubble behind the emphatic spikes of Ara Galang. However, the Loyola crew braved a seemingly insurmountable edge, battling back little by little to shock the Taft-based spikers and move a win way from the historic upset.
The Lady Eagles then clicked on all cylinders in third frame with the hopes of closing out the match early. Valdez scored aces while Morente kept pounding La Salle's defense to erect a 19-10 lead.
La Salle captain Aby Marano desperately tried to salvage her final season, leading a spirited run that pulled La Salle closer, 18-21. However, that proved to be their last laugh as Valdez took over in the end.
It is the first string of back-to-back losses for the La Salle side, who will yield the crown for the first time after holding the top post for three consecutive seasons.
THE SCORES:
Ateneo de Manila University - Valdez 21, Morente 11, De Jesus 10, Ahomiro 6, Morado 4, Patnongon 1.
De La Salle University - Galang 11, Marano 8, Tan 7, Demecillo 6, Reyes 6, Cheng 1, Cerveza 1.
Set scores: 25-23, 26-24, 25-21.
WATCH UAAP 76: Ateneo vs La Salle GAME 4 REPLAY VIDEO
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