THE ATENEO Blue Eagles defeated the Far Eastern University Tamaraws (FEU) in straight sets, 25-18, 25-15, 25-19, on Sunday, February 12 at the Filoil Flying V Center in San Juan City.

The Blue Eagles are now 3-0 in the elimination round standings of the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Volleyball tournament.

The first set was a tight battle with neither team leading by more than three points due to errors from both sides. As the Blue Eagles entered into the second technical timeout through Rex Intal’s quick, the Blue and White then went on a 9-3 run to eventually take the set (25-18).

The second set saw Ateneo pull away early, as Intal’s killer block gave the team a 5-point lead (7-2). Tony Koyfman then nabbed back-to-back aces that placed Ateneo ahead (15-7) and Marck Espejo allowed the Blue and White to enter the second technical timeout by scoring off a block. As the set came to a close in favor of the Blue Eagles, Gian Glorioso would go on to score the set point on his third offensive attempt, and continued to finish the set at 25-15.

The Tamaraws would fight back in the third set, leading by three at the first technical timeout (5-8). The Blue Eagles did not falter, however, as they led 16-12 by the second technical timeout. FEU attempted a comeback, which forced Ateneo to call a timeout (18-17), in order to halt the Tamaraws’ scoring run. The Katipunan-based squad would keep FEU to just two points after the timeout and Ron Medalla scored his first and only point to end the match at 25-19 for the Blue Eagles.

“We played well,” says Head Coach Oliver Almadro, “I told my players for the last few practices [that] we have to squeeze ourselves a little more.” At this point in the season, according to Coach Almadro, there are still many points of improvement for the team, as consistency is still a problem for Ateneo. “Important is they know how to handle it, they know how to handle pressure,” adds the head coach.

The next game for Ateneo will be against the Adamson University Soaring Falcons on Saturday, February 18 at the Filoil Flying V Center in San Juan City. Last Season 78, the team’s only loss came at the hands of Adamson.

Box Scores:

Ateneo: Espejo-12, Baysa-10, Intal-9, Koyfman-8, Villanueva-8, Polvorosa-3, Glorioso-1, Medalla-1

FEU: Dolor-10, Garcia-9, Solis-4, Paler-3, Quiel-3, Bugaoan-2, Villegas-1

The Ateneo Blue Eagles continue to solidify their ranks on top of the standings, defeating FEU in straight sets, 25-18, 25-15, 25-19.

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