By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
THE number of winless teams in Season 81 women’s volleyball of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines gets narrowed as struggling University of the East Lady Warriors and Adamson Lady Falcons collide in league action today at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan City.
Both sporting 0-2 records, UE and Adamson look to finally barge into the win column in the ongoing UAAP season in their 4 p.m. encounter and break away from a logjam at the tailend of the standings.
Playing in the opening game at 2 p.m., meanwhile, are the defending champions De La Salle Lady Spikers (2-0) and the National University Lady Bulldogs (1-1).
While they have come out of the tournament with more spring this time around, the Lady Warriors still have not found the breakthrough they are angling more, falling to University of the Philippines in five sets and NU in three in their first two assignments.
Leading the way for UE is Judith Abil, who has been averaging 15 points a game to date, with Meanne Mendrez and Seth Rodriguez adding eight and six points, respectively, per match.
In their last match against NU, the Lady Warriors competed but just could not sustain the fight in each of the three sets en route to the shutout loss. Abil and Mendrez led their team in said game with 10 and eight points each.
Adamson, too, is fighting out of the starting gates but has not caught a break.
The Lady Falcons dropped a five-setter to University of Santo Tomas in their season opener before bowing to La Salle in three last weekend.
Bernadette Flora has been good for 11.5 points per game for Adamson with veterans Joy Dacuron and Eli Soyud averaging just below double digits at 9.5 points each.
As a team, Adamson is in the top three in three categories, including tops in receives with 40.24% efficiency.
TOLENTINO IS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Meanwhile, the Ateneo Lady Eagles’ Kat Tolentino was adjudged UAAP player of the week after helping her team to back-to-back victories following a loss in their opener in Season 81.
Tolentino averaged 20.5 points in their two victories over UST and Far Eastern University, helping her team to a 2-1 record for the season.
“For me I realized that I can’t just stand there and tip the ball or hit it light. I have to go all out. I have to spike with power and how I normally do it,” said the Fil-Canadian spiker, who is the league’s leading scorer with 19 points per match, of the aggressiveness she is showing this year.
In winning the award, given by print and online media covering the league, Tolentino beat out La Salle’s Michelle Cobb, Milena Alessandrini of UST, and NU rookie Ivy Lacsina.
