Hala, Bira!!: 2016-02-28

Ateneo Lady Eagles (6 wins - 1 loss)

The Lady Eagles certainly gave their best this first round. Most of their games were finished in straight sets which only proved that they got great offensive skills which obviously led by Alyssa Valdez. I think that one of the reasons that La Salle beat them is due to the fact that they were pressured and their heart strong attitude did not show in that game. Don't get me wrong, truly, La Salle showed skill, confidence and heart but Ateneo was not 100%. If they are, they might give a better game to the Lady Spikers.

My opinion is that other players should step-up bigtime in order for them to come out on top after the second round. Amy Ahomiro needs to familliarize herself in the utility and Maddie and Bea should be consistent in the middle. On the other hand, Maraguinot needs to vary her spikes and their libero Jaime must also receive and dig consistently. Also, Jia Morado's sets should be more unpredictable and hard to read which can be done through combination plays and the like.

De La Salle Lady Spikers (5 wins - 2 losses)

The squad from Taft Manila showed how really tough they are on this round. I was amazed with the performance of Mary Joy Baron, the comeback of Ara Galang, the aggressiveness of Kim Fajardo and the surprise of Kim Dy. I would also commend the rookie Tin Tiamzon though she's inconsistent sometimes. Indeed, these were the keys that made them win against the defending champion, Ateneo. In contrary, I was surprised because they were beaten by UST in straight sets. That's just unbelievable. They were stunned and played like rookies on the court.

DLSU should develop consistency to win on their remaining games. Fierceness, confidence and skills are there but stable performance is sometimes off.

UP Lady Maroons (4 wins - 3 losses)

This very young team proved that they can survive the first strike of disasters coming on their way. Four rookies namely Isa Molde, Diana Carlos, Justine Dorog and Ayie Gannaban showcased their talents and skills against more veteran teams like NU and UST. Molde showered her opponents with strong spikes as well Carlos. Good serves from Dorog and efficient blocks from Gannaban were also showed. Though it was the rookies who were giving light to UP, don't forget the tenacity shown by their new captain Kathy Bersola and the versatility of Nicole Tiamzon for they served as the foundation of their team.

Lady Maroons must continue their good performance and should develop their connection more in order for them to secure their spot on Final Four or maybe a Finals' slot.

FEU Lady Tamaraws (4 wins- 3 losses)

Good serves and excellent floor defense were the weapons of this team. Targeting those opponents who are weak on receiving are truly their first step and if it failed, they will demoralize the opponent's spikers by saving the ball with ease and confidence. Indeed, the persistence and speed of their libero Ria Duremdes are really commendable. Moreover, Giselle Sy's return gave confidence to her teammates for they know that their plays will be orchestrated by a skillfull and veteran setter. Toni Rose Basas and Bernadeth should not be also forgotten for they are the ones who damages offensively.

These girls of green and yellow already got a good balance of offense and defense thus they should improve more on their winning attitude and their killing instinct as well.

NU Lady Bulldogs (3 wins- 4 losses)

After defeating La Salle in four sets, I thought that they were going to continue their stellar performance towards the Finals but unfortunately it was not. Their floor defense were unorganized and their offense were inconsistent during their last three games against UST, FEU and UP. Myla Pablo were ineffective and Santiago was almost neutralized. Furthermore, their libero General was not focused and seemingly forgot her improvement. As usual, setting was just so-so since their coach Roger Gorayeb still find the right link between Soliven, Perez and rookie play-maker Diolan.

I think that NU should first focus on their mentality and attitude while playing because I believe that it is the root cause why their performances were disappointingly inconsistent. If they are able to solve this problem, I know that their offense and defense will follow and they will certainly secure their Final Four position.

UST Tigresses (3 wins - 4 losses)

A lot of upset victories were brought by this team during the first round. Two of those are the five-set win against NU and straight set triumph against DLSU. I'm not saying that they solely won because of luck but it was definitely a factor. NU was out of focus as well as La Salle during those games. On the other hand, Cherry Rondina continues to amaze me due to the fact that she was obviously the one lifting her squad though sometimes Laure comes to life.

I think that Tigresses are really a strong contender for Final four spot this season. It is just that they should work on developing more firepower from their other players especially Carmela Tunay and Jessey De Leon for they are the veteranson this squad.

ADU Lady Falcons (3 wins- 4 losses)

Tying with NU and UST on the sixth spot, Lady Falcons really showed promise this first round. Jema Galanza's offense were impeccable while the angular spikes of Paat were unpredictable. Sophomore May Roque also starred on their game against FEU by tallying 28 points. Moreover, Libero Tempiatura and Playmaker Emnas were also remarkable since they are the ones responsible for giving their spikers an easy ball to kill.

Certainly, the only problem that I see about their team is on their blocking. Why? Because their middles Dacoron and Alkuino failed to tally more blocks on their last games. Also, their height are at disadvantage against other teams especially La Salle and NU. Therefore to cope with their weakness, they must continue their perfect floor defense to demoralize the other teams' spikers and this will surely help them reach the Final Four once again.

UE Lady Warriors (0 wins- 7 losses)

All other teams definitely did their best on getting points on the win column this round, it seems that this squad didn't want to join the fray. UE Lady Warriors received a lot of praise during their first game against UP due to the fact that they were defending the floor well and guarded the net strongly. Even though they lost, potentials of Baliton, Abil and Adorador were certainly showed that day but for some reason, it did not continue.
They failed to deliver enough for their squad and that's the reason why they still have no wins.

This young team needs to improve a lot on their defense, offense and also attitude during their games. They must be more matured, more agile and more creative so that they can somehow bring a single victory for their school. Final four maybe a long way to go for them but they should remember that development are just on the reach of their hands waiting to be grabbed.

Hala, Bira!!

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