Leonas win in Manatí, complicating matters for Atenienses in LVSF quarterfinals.
- The San Juan Daily Star
- Mar 26
- 2 min read
By THE STAR STAFF
The Leonas of Ponce stole a road victory at Juan Aubín Cruz Coliseum in Manatí in their first match of the postseason on Tuesday night, defeating the host Atenienses in four sets as the quarterfinals of the Women’s Superior Volleyball League (LVSF by its initials in Spanish) continued this week.
The outcome marked the second defeat in as many outings for the Atenienses in Section B, where the Criollas of Caguas and the Leonas are both 1-0. Those two teams will face off on Thursday as group play continues; in this stage of the postseason, each squad plays four matches in a bid to secure one of two spots in the semifinals.
With the match standing at 2-1 in sets in favor of the Leonas -- and the fourth set tied at 29 points in extra time -- the Manatí defense dropped back in anticipation of a powerful attack from American player Sherridan Atkinson coming from the back row. Atkinson capitalized on the defensive read, softened her spike, and placed the ball perfectly into Zone 6.
Ponce closed out the match on the very next play with a block against Karla Santos.
The set scores in favor of Ponce were 21-25, 25-22, 25-22 and 31-29.
Ponce’s offensive production was shared between Atkinson, who tallied 36 points (35 on attacks and 1 block), and Abby Akey, who contributed 14 points. For the Atenienses, Emily Elliott finished with 21 points, while Karla Santos and Solimar Cestero contributed 16 and 10 points, respectively.
The Leonas outperformed Manatí in every statistical category: 63-58 in attacks, 13-7 in blocks, 90-78 in digs, 22-19 in assists, 6-2 in service aces, and 65-45 in passes.
Quarterfinal play was to continue on Wednesday night in Section A, with the Cangrejeras of Santurce (1-0) hosting the Valencianas of Juncos (0-0) at Roberto Clemente Coliseum in Hato Rey. The Pinkin of Corozal (0-1) round out Section A.
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