AFTER being given an inch, the National University Lady Bulldogs took the entire mile as they emphatically beat the Ateneo Lady Eagles, 25-21, 26-24, 25-19, in their sudden-death showdown to take the title in the Shakey’s V-League Season 12 Collegiate Conference yesterday at the packed Arena in San Juan.
Four players churned out double-digit outputs to underscore the Lady Bulldogs depth with ace setter Rubie de Leon virtually having a field day flicking feeds to both flanks while at times confusing the Lady Eagles defenders with her combination plays and quick sets.
The veteran playmaker made Myla Pablo (15 hits), sisters Dindin Manabat (11) and Jaja Santiago (10) and skipper Jorelle Singh (10) look good with her virtuoso performance that included a brilliant dink in the second set.
The Lady Eagles, behind Alyssa Valdez, Bea de Leon, Amy Ahomiro and Jhoanna Maraguinot, did fight back after trailing majority of the way in all three sets, keeping the Ateneo crowd at the edge of their seats. But each time, the Lady Bulldogs had an answer coming off a huddle and went on to clinch the one-hour, 21-minute victory on a de Leon-attack that sailed long.
It was NU’s second title since beating Ateneo in this conference two years ago and the first under coach Roger Gorayeb, who also handled the Lady Eagles when they dropped a 1-3 decision to the NU-mentored Edjet Mabbayad in Season 10.
Pablo, relegated to the background for most of the conference, saved her best for last and top-scored with 15 hits, outscoring the fancied Valdez, who managed just 14.
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