THE ATENEO Blue Eagles dominated the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons in four sets, 25-18, 23-25, 25-22, 25-13, in the 81st season of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Men’s Volleyball Tournament on Sunday, March 10, at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.

Blue Eagles Head Coach Timothy Sto. Tomas fielded his usual starting lineup of Gian Glorioso, Chu Njigha, Egie Magadia, Tony Koyfman, Ron Medalla, Jan Rivera, and Manuel Sumanguid at libero. Service specialist and second setter Bok Morado came in at the first and second sets while Kurt Aguilar and Jasper Tan both earned some playing time off the bench.

Glorioso bounced back after some recent poor performances with a career-high 20 points (13 points, six blocks, one ace) while Sumanguid recorded a double-double of 15 excellent digs and 11 excellent receives. The Blue Eagles’ steady offensive display was only blemished by their 34 unforced errors, of which 13 came from the service line.

To start off the match, the only points the Blue and White conceded were from errors which prevented them from gaining momentum early on. UP’s first kill came from Mark Millette who spiked it off the block, 13-10. Errors by the Fighting Maroons put Ateneo ahead by three at the first technical timeout (TTO), 16-13. It was an exchange of points until the very end as both teams kept committing unforced errors. A net touch violation by the Fighting Maroons handed the set to the Blue Eagles, 25-18

The Katipunan-based squad dominated the second set early as they led by seven off a back row kill by Medalla, 19-12. Despite the deficit, UP was able to muster a 0-4 run mainly due to errors from Rivera, 20-17. Another 1-6 UP run later on put the Fighting Maroons ahead by two points, 22-24. Koyfman scored off the block but a quick by Gian San Pascual ended the set in favor of the Fighting Maroons, 23-25.

The two teams were trading runs in the third set, with Ateneo only leading by one at the second TTO, 16-15. Mistakes from the Blue and White allowed UP to build a two-point cushion thanks to a service ace by Bryan Enteria that froze the receivers in place, 18-20. The Blue Eagles made a comeback through a 5-0 scoring run, with UP contributing most of the points from errors, 23-20. Njigha eventually took set point with a quick, 25-22.

Ateneo’s offense found its groove in the fourth set as they built up a sizeable lead entering the second TTO, 16-9. A 7-0 run later on assured the victory for the Blue and White as Rivera’s off the block kill put them at match point, 24-11. Another off the block spike by Rivera finished the match, 25-13.

With Ateneo’s first consecutive win, Head Coach Timmy Sto. Tomas’ system has been proven to be working effectively. Despite the victory, Sto. Tomas noted, “[our problem is] their mindset during the game since they have a tendency to relax.” In the second set, the Blue Eagles lost a seven-point lead and allowed UP to take the set.

Ateneo now stands at third place with a win-loss record of 3-2. The next game for the Blue and White will be on Wednesday, March 13 at 8:00 AM against the Adamson University Soaring Falcons at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.

Set Scores

Ateneo-UP: 25-18, 23-25, 25-22, 25-13