MANILA, Philippines – There is no doubt that the Ateneo de Manila University Lady Eagles are the hottest team in the UAAP right now, as they have won seven consecutive matches in the Season 79 women's volleyball tournament.

Ateneo already holds two wins against University of the Philippines (UP), and an impressive victory over defending champions De La Salle University. The lone team they have yet to defeat is National University (NU), whom they lost to in four sets back in the first round.

In their latest victory, Ateneo showed both a capacity for dominance and composure in crunch time with a 25-10, 26-24, 28-26 win over University of Santo Tomas (UST). The straight-sets win hiked their record to 8-1.

Yet even as they continue to rack up the wins, the Lady Eagles are not at all worried that they are peaking too early.

• READ: Lady Eagles claw Tigresses for seventh win in a row

"Sa tingin ko, may ilalabas pa 'yung team," Ateneo coach Sherwin Meneses said Wednesday following their win over the Tigresses.

"And sinabi ko nga na para kay Coach Tai (Bundit), kailangan talaga every day, mag-improve ka sa training," he added.

[I think the team has more to show. Like Coach Tai Bundit always says, every day, you have to improve in training.]

Ateneo skipper Jia Morado, whose consistently impressive playmaking has been the anchor of Ateneo's winning streak, said Bundit's constant reminders are crucial for the Lady Eagles.

"We really try to keep ourselves grounded even though we have a winning streak," Morado said.

"Coach Tai keeps reminding us na pinaghahandaan kami ng kalaban, and kung paano kami maghanda for the opponent, ganoon ang ginagawa nila for us," she added.

[Coach Tai keeps reminding us that our opponent is also preparing for us, so we have to prepare well for them as well.]

"Bilog ang bola," Morado also said. "Anyone can win any game. All we have to do is prepare talaga."

Indeed, their game against UST proved Morado right. After a dominant first set where they peppered the Tigresses with service aces, the Lady Eagles were dragged into nip-and-tuck affairs in the second and third frames.

Ateneo saved two set points in the second set and got the come-from-behind victory. In the third set, however, it was their turn to squander a lead, wasting a 24-19 advantage due in part to spotty service reception. Again, however, they showed their composure, with Michelle Morente firing a service ace to seal the win.

Veteran open hitter Jhoana Maraguinot believes that if anything, their performance in the second and third set showed that they have plenty to work on.

"Hindi naman kami worried (about peaking too early), kasi parang ngayon talaga, balance kami. Hindi kami 'yung sabay-sabay na maganda 'yung laro," she pointed out.

[We're not worried about peaking too early. Right now, we haven't had a game where everyone really played well.]

"Kunwari, ako masama 'yung laro ko, may magko-compensate eh. So I guess, maganda rin siya na ngayon, parang bina-balance pa rin namin. Para sa dulo, may chance na magsabay-sabay kaming maganda 'yung laro," she added.

[If I have a bad game, I know one of my teammates will be there to compensate. I think right now, we're trying to find a balance. I hope that towards the end, we'll have games where everybody will play well.]

Ateneo will try to make it eight wins in a row on Saturday against Far Eastern University.

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