THE ATENEO Blue Eagles failed to sustain their third-set momentum, succumbing to the National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs, 22-25, 15-25, 25-22, 22-25, earlier today at the Mall of Asia Arena (MOA) in Pasay City.

The loss puts the Blue Eagles at 0-2 in the elimination round standings of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 84 Women’s Volleyball Tournament.

Faith Nisperos opened the match for the Blue Eagles with a down-the-line kill, 1-0. An exchange of rallies between the Blue Eagles and Lady Bulldogs culminated in Nisperos tying the game at 10-10. 

The Blue Eagles received an offensive push from Vanie Gandler, who heated up in the second set to give the Blue Eagles an early two-point lead, 4-2. However, the Lady Bulldogs came out stronger defensively with more solid blocks, taking the lead back, 11-13. The Ateneo side was unable to solidify its receptions which placed them in a 13-19 hole as NU took advantage of their strength from the service line. This rendered the Blue Eagles unable to recover as the set finished with a decisive 15-25 showing in favor of NU.

Down two sets, the Blue Eagles banked on the costly errors of the Lady Bulldogs as Joan Narit snatched the lead for Ateneo with back-to-back service aces, 14-12. A resilient NU staged a late comeback in the third set but ultimately fell short, awarding a more composed Ateneo side the set, 25-22.

In the final set, Ateneo started aggressively with a drop shot from Gandler, 2-1. The Blue Eagles continued their offensive momentum as the veterans in the backcourt stepped up to convert attack points. Both teams exchanged points during the majority of the set, but the excellent sets and smart plays from Jaja Maraguinot put Ateneo ahead, 18-16. After recovering their deficit to Ateneo, NU started pulling away as they took advantage of the Blue Eagles’ weak floor defense with plays in transition, 22-23. Back-to-back points from Belen then secured the set and the game for the Lady Bulldogs, 25-22.

Nisperos and Gandler had impressive showings for the Blue Eagles, as the former recorded 16 markers while the latter had nine points to show for herself. Despite this, the strong offensive performances from Ateneo’s top two gunners were still unable to dig Ateneo out of the 1-2 set deficit at the fourth.

The Blue Eagles are set to face the Adamson University Lady Falcons on Tuesday, May 10, 6:00 PM at the MOA Arena in Pasay City.

Set Scores:

Ateneo-NU: 22-25, 15-25, 25-22, 22-25

Box Scores: 

Ateneo: Nisperos – 16, Gandler – 9, Miner – 7, Narit – 6, Maraguinot – 5, Ildefonso – 2, De Guzman – 1

NU: Belen – 18, Robles – 18, Solomon – 15, Lacsina – 12, Toring – 7, Lamina – 3, Pangilinan – 3, Cagande – 1