WITH THE twice-to-beat advantage and first seed on the line, the Ateneo Blue Eagles were taken down by the National University (NU) Bulldogs in four sets, 23-25, 25-21, 23-25, 19-25, in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 80 Men’s Volleyball tournament on Sunday, April 15, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The Katipunan-based squad drops to third seed heading into the Final Four stage, falling behind a second-ranked Far Eastern University (FEU) and current frontrunners NU. Adamson University (AdU) will face the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in a playoff for the fourth seed on Wednesday, April 18.
Head Coach Oliver Almadro started Karl Baysa, Marck Espejo, Polvorosa, Medalla, Gian Glorioso, Chu Njigha, and Manuel Sumanguid as libero for the crucial match. For crucial serves, Pau Trinidad and rookie Jobok Morado took to the court.
The first set saw a heated battle in an effort to establish command of the match. NU earned a slight 6-8 advantage by the first technical time-out (TTO) thanks to attacking combinations by Kim Malabunga and Madzlan Gampong. However, in the aftermath of some exchanges, the Bulldogs widened the gal and racked up a 3-0 run to slam a 12-16 lead at the second TTO. The Blue Eagles, however, fought fire with fire and put up a run of their own, pushing the game down to the wire to lock the score at 23-23. Despite the late surge, NU took the set after costly errors from Polvorosa and Espejo.
[1st set] Espejo tries to go down the line but it’s wide, NU takes the first set.
Ateneo 23 NU 25#UAAPVolleyball pic.twitter.com/WNyUtJiCQU
— James Gavina (@James_TheGUIDON) April 15, 2018
Eager to tie the match, the Blue and White kicked off the second set with a blazing 5-1 run to lead 8-4 by the first TTO. NU slowly inched their way back to a 16-15 scoreline by the second TTO, courtesy of powerful spikes by Bryan Bagunas. Ateneo, however, never relented, taking the set at 25-21 to tie the match after a kill block from Espejo and a brilliant service ace from Glorioso.
[2nd set] It’s an ace for Glorioso!
Ateneo 25 NU 21#UAAPVolleyball pic.twitter.com/ZwxtMduspQ
— James Gavina (@James_TheGUIDON) April 15, 2018
NU opened the third set with an explosive 7-2 run, but fierce attacks by middle blockers Njigha and Glorioso allowed the Blue Eagles to fight back with a 7-1 run of their own. With the score at 14-16 at the second TTO, Marck Espejo sparked another 5-1 run to give his team the lead at 21-19. Unfazed, the Bulldogs banded together to deny any more spikes and crafted attack after attack, stealing the go-ahead set at 23-25.
[3rd set] The Bulldogs take set point as the ball hits the antenna.
Ateneo 23 NU 25#UAAPVolleyball pic.twitter.com/D7pMqxfq5d
— James Gavina (@James_TheGUIDON) April 15, 2018
With the match on the line, the Blue Eagles looked determined to change the tide heading into the fourth set. Espejo and Medalla found their scoring rhythm nearing the first TTO, but Ateneo’s lead proved to be short lived after Malabunga nailed two consecutive denials to swing the momentum in NU’s favor. Ateneo struggled to minimize errors, deal with Bagunas’ attacks, and land their spikes, but the Blue Eagles could do little to stop a resilient NU side. After suffering a deadly 13-3 run, the Blue Eagles conceded the set as Gampong landed the match-point spike at 19-25.
[4th set] The NU Bulldogs take the match in four sets.
Ateneo 19 NU 25#UAAPVolleyball pic.twitter.com/LsQHjyJRw9
— James Gavina (@James_TheGUIDON) April 15, 2018
Amidst the heartbreaking loss, Ateneo Head Coach Oliver Almadro remained valiant, saying “The motivation to be in the finals is still there. Yun nga lang m, we will really have to win twice, and how we will do that is by doubling the effort.”
“Ateneo is blessed by the lord with the likes of Ish Polvorosa and Marck Espejo.” – Coach Oliver on the possible Ateneans that may make the national team. | @Apa_TheGUIDON #UAAPVolleyball pic.twitter.com/M4lDGPx3yz
— James Gavina (@James_TheGUIDON) April 7, 2018
The next game for the Blue Eagles will be a Final Four matchup against FEU, who hold a twice-to-beat advantage as the second seed, meaning Ateneo must defeat the Tamaraws twice to seal a spot in the finals. This will be held on Saturday, April 21 at 2:00pm in the Mall Of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Set Scores
Ateneo-NU: 23-25, 25-21, 23-25, 19-25
Box Score
Ateneo: Espejo – 23, Medalla – 14, Njigha – 11, Glorioso – 8 Baysa – 4, Polvorosa – 2
NU: Bagunas – 19, Malabunga – 13, Gampong – 13, Saura – 11 , Natividad – 8, Ismail -2
