The Psycology Of Game 4

It all boils down to this! The river card, and the chips are all-in. Whoever wins gets to keep all the marbles. It's De La Salle University and Ateneo de Manila University in the last game of the Women's Volleyball competition of UAAP 76.

It has been a brilliant championship series, so far. Both teams showed true grit and determination in the first three matches. Ateneo, the underdogs, took games 1 and 3. While, La Sale, showed why they're heavy favorites, dominated most of game 2. If the girls continue playing the way they've been playing, it's going to be too close to call. Only an injury to one of they key players - heaven forbid - can drastically change the scenario.

De La Salle: Early Domination

La Salle didn't play bad in games 1 and 2 at all. Their offense and defense have been solid. Ara Galang was, is, and will be unstoppable when she smacks the ball across. Aby Maraño still displays the leadership that guided the Lady Spikers to the finals. They still are a wonder to watch at their best.

Their weakness is in mental toughness. They've been dominant all season and looked unbeatable; until game 1. They've never been pushed this hard and they didn't cope well with the pressure. This was evident in game 3. The fifth set was like  the Twilight Zone for La Salle; they've never played a short set this season. They were poised to cruise past Ateneo, but had the rug pulled from under their feet. How they will react to a heartbreaking loss will be crucial. If they don't put game 4 away quickly, Taft Avenue will be covered with a deluge of tears this afternoon.

Ateneo de Manila: Realistic Expectations

The chip in the green armor is the strength behind Katipunan outfit. The Lady Eagles need to display the same composure and maintain it. They barged to the finals with absolutely nothing to lose. Their mantra was probably "one set at a time" and they were enjoying the ride. This time it is different. They actually have a chance of dethroning their bitter rivals. And deep inside, they now believe that to be a possibility. The realistic expectactation of winning the title could spell disaster for them.

Ateneo should remain focused. They're a young team, but mental strength has brought them this far. The raw talent is there, but it is will power that propelled them to soar. They believe in themselves and each other. They seem to have this ability of rebooting their system during crucial stages of a game. This is what transformed Amy Ahomiro from a shy and almost hesitant starter into a tower of fortitude up front. Alyssa Valdez is still dominant, but will still need the supporting cast to deliver.

Taking away injuries and breaks of the game as factors, everything will depend on mental preparation. At this stage, blunders will be costly; end-game service errors will be fatal. The girls have shown their physical prowess all season. But, can they survive the psychological factors?