UP AGAINST a tandem solely dedicated to beach volleyball, the Blue Eagles were defeated in straight sets by the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers on Saturday, October 7 at SM Sands by the Bay in Pasay City.
The University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Men’s Beach Volleyball lineup consisted of Marck Espejo, Karl Baysa, and John Rivera, who played the role of the reserve player.
The defending champions on the sand asserted their dominance early and capitalized on Ateneo errors to take a nine-point lead, 1-10. The Blue Eagles then went on a run to cut the deficit to five off a denial by Baysa on Anthony Arbasto, 10-15. Unfortunately, the champion duo responded with a 6-3 run to take the first set, 13-21.
The Growling Tigers climbed the ladder yet again in the second, with a wide spike by Baysa putting the Blue and White down by six, 6-12. A block by Arbasto on Baysa pushed the lead to eight for UST, 10-18, and the champion duo eventually took match point with a lob over Baysa’s block, 14-21.
The next games for the Blue Eagles will be on Sunday, October 8, against the National University (NU) Bulldogs and the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons at SM Sands by the Bay in Pasay City.
Set Scores
Ateneo vs UST: 13-21, 14-21
