Volley Royale, Lady Spikers heavy faves vs Lady Eagles

MANILA, Philippines - All the factors point to La Salle being the favorites against Ateneo, the Lady Spikers’ rival for the UAAP Season 76 women’s volleyball crown.

They have won all 14 games in the elims, including a pair of straight-set demolition of the Lady Eagles, and dropped just one set this season, underscoring their readiness to stretch their reign for the fourth straight season.

They enjoy a huge thrice-to-beat advantage in the finals that begin today at 2 p.m. before an expected big crowd at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, an edge that’s very hard, if not impossible, to overcome.

But DLSU coach Ramil de Jesus won’t let his guard down, especially against an overachieving rival that has made a surprising run en route to a championship berth. The Lady Eagles have won their last seven games, including two over twice-to-beat National U in the stepladder semis.

“Kailangan namin lampasan kung ano man ang nilalaro ng Ateneo sa ngayon para makuha ang championship na ito (We have to surpass the energy and performance of Ateneo lately, if we want to win this championship),” said de Jesus, not wanting DLSU to be the victims of the probably biggest reversal in college play.

DLSU and AdMU take the court at 4 p.m., with another sea of green and blue expected in attendance.

Serving as co-main feature will be the 2 p.m. men’s finals, where National U seeks to finish off Ateneo and clinch a second-straight crown. The Bulldogs took Game One of the best-of-three series, 29-27, 25-22, 25-22, last Saturday.

De Jesus will be banking on two-time MVP Abi Maraño for energy and leadership and veterans Ara Galang, Mika Reyes and Cyd Demecillo for their powerful attacks and setter Kim Fajardo for play orchestration as the Lady Spikers bid to seize the first of two victories they need to formally lay claim to their fourth straight crown.

On the other side will be MVP favorite Alyssa Valdez, the heart and soul of Ateneo, a team that lost five key players from last year but has found ways to fill up the vacuum. She gets help from Ella de Jesus and rookie Michelle Morente.

Ateneo’s Thai coach Anusorn Bundit admitted his wards are facing tall odds against the tall La Sallians but he’s keeping the faith.

“La Salle is a strong team, I know. They have strong system. We believe we can win,” said Bundit, who has steered Ateneo to the finals despite the language barrier.

This will be the third straight finals confrontation for La Salle and Ateneo, whose storied rivalry has spilled over to volleyball and even led to a record crowd of 19,000 in one of their games last year.