The Ateneo Blue Eagles extended their head-to-head win streak over the UP Fighting Maroons to 11 games after taking both games in UAAP Season 87.
AC Miner and the Ateneo Blue Eagles had double the reason to celebrate after beating the UP Fighting Maroons in a grueling five-setter that lasted almost three hours in round 2 of UAAP Season 87 on Saturday.
Apart from stringing their first win streak of the year, the Blue Eagles also continued to lord it over the Fighting Maroons — extending their winning run in their head-to-head to 11 games — stemming all the way back from UAAP Season 81.
After the game, Miner said that she took it as her personal responsibility to make sure that Ateneo continues to win — whether it be against UP or otherwise.
[READ: UAAP: Ateneo repeats over UP after grueling 5-setter to score first win streak of Season 87]
“We do treat every opponent the same, like same 110 percent binibigay namin sa laro and 110 percent yung pagaaral namin sa kanila. Yung 11 win streak against UP, I think pride na rin siguro yung dala namin with yung mga naunang batches,” said Miner, who finished with 19 points in the hard-fought victory.
“So we’re also very, I guess, maingat sa pride na binigay sa amin nung mga nakakatanda sa amin so nasa amin na para ipatuloy yun for them.”
But perhaps more importantly, the character-building win has powered the Blue Eagles to a renewed vigor in the second round. Now with two wins in five-set fashion, Miner believes that they are going in the right direction.
In particular, the Blue Eagles have subscribed to head coach Sergio Veloso’s “Strong Mind” mentality.
“I think everyone is very eager to work kahit yung mga rookies namin and especially now 11 na nga lang kami, yung mga rookies they are called to step up and they are really stepping up and embracing the positions given to them kahit hindi sila sanay sa posisyon na yon,” she said.
As for the rest of the season, with the Final Four still up in the air, Miner hopes that their back-to-back wins become a harbinger of better things to come for the rest of the year.
“Ending the first round at 2-5, mas eager kami ngayon na maipanalo yung games na susunod and also bigay namin yung best namin manalo or matalo,” she said.
“Also siguro last year we ended fifth, coming into this season, na-realize namin na yung mga nakatalo sa amin nung last season, kailangan namin talunin now add pa yung mga tinalo namin last year so goal talaga namin is to get to the Final Four so we just take it one game at a time and then we go on from there,” Miner added.
The next challenge for Miner and the rest of the Ateneo Blue Eagles will be the Adamson Lady Falcons who are also coming off of a win. They meet on Saturday, March 29, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.