Valdez repeats as UAAP volley scoring queen

MANILA, Philippines - Ateneo skipper Alyssa Valdez has put a lock on a second straight the Best Scorer plum and annexed the Best Server after topping the charts in the elims of the UAAP Season 76 women’s volleyball tourney.

Valdez piled up 269 points built around 212 spikes, 22 blocks and 35 aces to repeat as the league’s scoring champ and posted a 0.74 average by set in the service department to add to her personal feat.

National U’s Dindin Santiago emerged as the Best Spiker, punching in 189 spikes off 410 attempts for a league-best 46.10 success percentage while University of the Philippines’ Katherine Bersola cornered the Best Blocker with 42 kill blocks and 0.91 average by set.

Lady Eagle Denise Lazaro topped the race for Best Digger (159 digs, 3.38 average by set) and Best Receiver (147 excellent reception, 31.72 percent efficiency) awards while Kim Fajardo of streaking defending champion La Salle secured Best Setter accolade with 305 running sets, 715 still sets and 6.93 average by set.

The DLSU Lady Spikers swept the 14-game eliminations to secure an automatic finals berth and thrice-to-beat advantage and stats illustrated how dominant they were, finishing either No. 1 or near the top in the various categories.

DLSU lorded it in blocks (123 kill blocks, 2.80 average by set) with Mika Reyes and Season 75 co-MVP Abigail Marano accounting for 30 blocks and 0.68 average by set and 27 blocks and 0.61 average by set, respectively.

They also paced everyone in setting, logging 326 sets and norming 7.41 by set.

The Taft-based spikers ranked second in spike (523 and 33.79 percent success rate against NU’s leading 626 and 37.60 percent); in service (98 aces and 2.23 average against Ateneo’s 114 aces and 2.41 average); and in receive (21.10 efficiency rate against AdMU’s 21.34). DLSU ran fifth in digs with 6.89 average versus No. 1 Adamson’s 9.28.

In the men’s division, last year’s co-MVP Mark Gil Alfafara stamped his class in scoring (344), spike (45.74 percent), and service (0.43 average by set).

Julius Evan Raymundo of University of the Philippines finished as the top blocker (0.94 average by set); Adamson’s Rence Melgar as best digger (2.54 average by set); Ateneo’s Esmilzo Polvoroza as best setter (6.85 average by set); and Ateneo’s John Paul Pareja as best receiver (41.22 efficiency rate).