THE ATENEO Lady Eagles resumed their University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Beach Volleyball campaign with losses to the National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs and the University of the Philippines (UP) Lady Maroons on Saturday, October 7 at SM Sands by the Bay in Pasay City.
Jules Samonte and Bea De Leon suited up for Ateneo, while Ana Gopico played the role of reserve player for the duo.
Ateneo vs NU
With the rain pouring down during the entire duration of the match, the Lady Bulldogs went on an early run capped off by a service ace, 3-6. Ateneo continued to struggle early and trailed NU by seven at the first technical timeout, 7-14. A quick return from the NU duo found the floor and eventually ended the first set, 13-21.
NU took an early 2-6 advantage, punishing a weather-worn Ateneo side, but back-to-back errors by the Lady Bulldogs allowed the Lady Eagles to tie the score, 10-10. NU attempted to pull away, but good offensive plays by De Leon kept the game tied, 14-14. Neither team could make a break into the set, and an error for NU kept the scores leveled, 19-19. A kill by De Leon and an ace by Samonte finished the set, 21-19.
The third set started off close, as the Katipunan-based tandem called time after a service ace by NU to tie the game, 6-6. NU took the two-point lead thanks to another service ace, 8-10. A third service ace for the Lady Bulldogs brought their team to within just two points of taking the match, 11-13. An attack by NU that De Leon was unable to receive finished the set and the match, 13-15.
Ateneo vs UP
Hoping to keep their semifinals hopes alive, Samonte and De Leon suited up against UP’s Diana Carlos and Arielle Estranero later in the day. The scores were close early in the game, and a spike by Samonte tied the set, 7-7. A double contact violation on De Leon tied the game again later into the set, 14-14. The Lady Maroons then went on a short run to bring the score to 15-17, forcing a time-out from Ateneo. The Lady Maroons concluded the set with an unanswered 4-0 scoring run to take the first, 15-21.
Fatigued from the previous match, the Ateneo duo found themselves down by six after an attack error from Samonte, 5-11. Another unanswered scoring run from UP forced the Lady Eagles to call time, 5-16. The Lady Maroons eventually took the set and the match in dominant fashion, 11-21.
With these two losses, Ateneo joins NU, the University of the East (UE), and Adamson University (AdU) with identical records of 1-4 at the bottom half of the standings.
The next game of the Lady Eagles will be on Sunday, October 8, against the AdU Lady Falcons at SM Sands by the bay in Pasay City.
Set Scores
Ateneo vs NU: 13-21, 21-19, 13-15
Ateneo vs UP: 15-21, 11-21
