THE ATENEO Blue and Lady Eagles opened the first games of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 78 Men’s and Women’s Volleyball Finals against the National University (NU) Bulldogs and the De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Spikers, respectively, on Saturday, April 23 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.
Although the Blue Eagles were able to secure a 1-0 advantage against the Bulldogs, the Lady Eagles started their title defense with a straight-set loss to the Lady Spikers.
Blue Eagles
With the Blue Eagles having faced NU in the Finals for the third time in the past three seasons, the two teams were anything but unfamiliar foes. But after dropping the first set, the Blue and White emerged the better team and finished the game in four sets with scores of 23-25, 25-20, 25-17, 25-18.
The first set of the game started in favor of the Blue and White, as they showed consistency with their attacks. However, Manila-based squad successfully adjusted to beat the Ateneo’s defense, with the latter beginning to trail as the set drew to a close after numerous errors on their part.
But after testing the waters in the first set, the Blue Eagles finally started paying more attention to their defense while also increasing their offensive output. But as soon as the score gap widened, the Bulldogs responded with a renewed aggression to accumulate points of their own.
Play was then stopped during the same set, when the Bulldogs filed a complaint regarding an alleged error called against Jann Ancheta’s offense. As its team captain, Ysay Marasigan defended the Ateneo’s side regarding the call, but his resistance was seen by the officials as misconduct, with a yellow card punctuating their decision.
Head Coach Oliver Almadro explained that the altercation served as Marasigan’s wake-up call to his teammates to give their best during the game. “Style lang niya iyon para mabuhay yung team (It was just his style to make the team feel more alive.)”
Fortunately, the incident worked in favor of the Blue Eagles, with attackers Marck Espejo, Marasigan, and Karl Baysa releasing a bevy of powerful attacks to nab the next three sets for the Blue and White to get the win.
Espejo led the team with an outstanding score of 21 points while veterans Rex Intal and Marasigan contributed to the total offensive output with 13 and 12 points, respectively.
The Blue and White now have the advantage in the best of three series, with the team aiming to end the season with the championship crown after their second game scheduled at 12:00 PM, Wednesday, April 27 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Lady Eagles
Meanwhile in the Women’s bracket, the Lady Eagles and the Lady Spikers rekindled their rivalry yet again with their fifth straight Finals encounter. Despite a steady performance from the Blue and White, DLSU ultimately took Game One in straight sets, 22-25, 22-25, 21-25.
The first set of the match saw the Ateneo build a 5-0 lead early on. However, DLSU countered with a run of their own midway through the set. After the first technical timeout, both teams exchanged the lead as they kept each other at arms length. And after the second, the Lady Archers’ steady defense finally helped them build a four-point cushion that allowed the Taft-based squad to close the set.
The succeeding sets took on a similar pattern, as the Lady Eagles were unable to counter DLSU’s runs. Ultimately, the defensive performances of both teams proved to be a crucial factor in the match. In the blocking department, the Lady Spiker’s defense earned them 13 points compared to a mere two points for Coach Tai Bundit’s squad. “The other team wanted it more today,” Lady Eagle Bea de Leon admitted.
Despite the loss, Alyssa Valdez still remained the best player on the floor, as she led the game with a total of 17 points. She was followed by Jhoanna Maraguinot and de Leon with eight and seven points, respectively.
Game Two is slated on Wednesday, April 27, 4:00 PM at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
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