THE ATENEO-FUDGEE Barr Blue Eagles lose in five sets against the Prima-FEU Tamaraws, 20-25, 25-19, 27-29, 25-21, 14-16 in the Spikers’ Turf Open Conference on Wednesday, October 19 at the Blue Eagle Gym in Quezon City.
Blue Eagle Head Coach Timothy Sto. Tomas fielded a starting lineup of Tony Koyfman, Zach Santamaria, Jan Rivera, Ron Medalla, Gian Glorioso, Chu Njigha, and Manuel Sumanguid at libero. Starting setter Egie Magadia was unavailable due to a required senior’s immersion. Service specialists Pau Trinidad and Bok Morado were used throughout the match while rookies Abai Llenos and Kurt Aguilar were given playing time off the bench.
Koyfman finished the game with 29 spikes and two blocks, leading both teams in scoring with 31. Santamaria notched 34 excellent sets in his first stint as the team’s starting setter. Errors were a big factor in Ateneo’s loss as they surrendered 41 points in total.
The match was a close fight in the first set, but the Tamaraws pulled away after a 0-6 scoring run that was sparked mainly due to Ateneo errors, leaving the score at 8-15.
Further faults on Ateneo’s serve and FEU’s dominance in the middle put them ahead by as much as eight, 12-20. A 7-2 run for the Blue and White headlined by good serving brought the deficit to three, 19-22. Errors continued to plague the Blue Eagles and a wide attack by Medalla gave FEU set point, 20-25.
[1st set] Medalla’s attack goes wide. FEU takes the first set.
Ateneo 20 FEU 25#SpikersTurf pic.twitter.com/GSdaOlJXng
— Ally Crespo (@Ally_TheGUIDON) October 19, 2018
The Katipunan-based squad had the early lead to start the second set but a 3-0 run by FEU tied the score, 10-10. Both teams continued to trade points until a 5-1 run put the Blue and White ahead, 21-17. They continued their run up until set point where Medalla scored an ace off the net, 25-19.
[2nd set] Medalla’s ace gives Ateneo the second set. Match is now tied at one set a piece!
Ateneo 25 FEU 19#SpikersTurf pic.twitter.com/7dyL2dnAT4
— Ally Crespo (@Ally_TheGUIDON) October 19, 2018
The third frame was an extremely tense affair with neither team leading by more than two points for majority of the set. A 5-2 run eventually put FEU at set point after a block on Koyfman, 22-24. The Blue Eagles responded with a 3-0 run inspired by a quick and a block by Njigha, 25-24. The FEU Tamaraws answered back with another 5-2 run where they finished the set off a Medalla attack error, 27-29.
[3rd set] FEU closes out the third set after Ateneo commits a 4 touch violation.
Ateneo 27 FEU 29#SpikersTurf
— Ally Crespo (@Ally_TheGUIDON) October 19, 2018
It was another back-and-forth affair in the fourth set, with Ateneo taking the small lead at the second technical timeout (TTO), 16-15. A 6-2 scoring run in the latter portion of the set put Ateneo ahead as they took the set off a service error, 25-21.
[4th set] service goes long for FEU! We are heading into a fifth and deciding set!
Ateneo 25 FEU 21#SpikersTurf pic.twitter.com/6cc9H6skLX
— Ally Crespo (@Ally_TheGUIDON) October 19, 2018
The collegiate teams were in for a nail-biting finish after FEU tied the score at 12-12 off a regalo spiked in by Tamaraw Raymond Bautista. A kill through the block by Medalla and an error caused by Trinidad’s serve put Ateneo at match point, 14-12. Trinidad’s service error sparked a momentum shift that led to a 0-3 run by Prima-FEU, forcing the Lady Eagles into a timeout with the score at 14-15. The Blue Eagles were unable to extend the match as they took the heartbreaking loss, ending the set at 14-16.
Despite the defeat, however, Santamaria relished the opportunity to start for the Blue Eagles for the first time. “I was happy that I got the chance to show what I could do,” he said.
The towering setter also added that he sent more balls to the wings in order to take advantage of FEU’s shorter blockers which goes to explain why the middles had less scoring opportunities than usual.
Ateneo-Fudgee Barr’s next game will be against the Sta. Elena Construction Wrecking Balls at 3:00 PM, on Tuesday, November 13 at the same venue.
Set Score
Ateneo-FEU: 20-25, 25-19, 27-29, 25-21, 14-16
Box Scores
Ateneo: Koyfman – 31, Medalla – 16, Njigha – 13, Rivera – 12, Glorioso – 9, Aguilar – 1, Llenos – 1
FEU: Paler – 17, Calado – 16, Bugaoan – 16, Bautista – 5, Salabsab – 4, Fernandez – 4, Dablo – 3, Laganina – 2, Silang – 1, Suarez – 1
