AFTER FIVE exciting sets of action, the Ateneo Blue Eagles emerged victorious over the Easy Trip (ESY) Road Spikers, 19-25, 25-21, 25-18, 25-21, 15-8, in the Spikers’ Turf Open Conference on September 22 at the Paco Arena in Manila.

The win moved the Blue and White to a 4-0 record and secured a berth in the quarter finals with one game to spare in the preliminary rounds.

Chu Njigha dominated with 15 attacks, nine blocks, and an ace to earn him Player of the Game honors, while senior Ron Medalla complemented the offense with 17 attacks. Zolo Ligot helped bolster their net defense with four kill blocks of his own.

Easy Trip pounced on early errors from Ateneo in the first set. They entered the second TTO following strong offensive and net defense plays from Dave Pletado and Red Christensen, 11-16. Despite Njigha and veteran middle blocker Gian Glorioso’s two quick kills, Easy Trip took the set after a clean attack from Mardy Galang, 19-25.

The Blue Eagles looked to Njigha for answers in the second set and he responded in kind with three kill blocks before the first TTO, 7-8. Careless errors still plagued Ateneo, but Glorioso and Medalla found their offensive groove following the second TTO, 22-19. The Blue and White won the second set after a hammering attack from Medalla, 25-21.

The Blue Eagles looked their best in the third set, blitzing a crucial 4-0 run after back-to-back kills from Ligot, 8-7. Njigha posted two more kill blocks and a quick as Easy Trip struggled to contain him, 17-11. The Blue Eagles took the set following a massive attack from Njigha and an offensive error from ESY, 25-18.

The fourth set saw the Blue and White break ahead with a 6-1 run fueled by Njigha’s all-around plays. However, Easy Trip refused to remain silent and went on a game-changing 9-1 run off of an offensive explosion by Galang, 13-10. It was Njigha again who tried to answer back with sharp quick attacks, but numerous service errors restrained Ateneo from pulling ahead. Easy Trip sent the match to a fifth set after Milover Parcon converted an attack on the floor, 25-21.

With their undefeated record on the line, the Blue Eagles limited their errors and again turned to their star middle blocker. Njigha scored three straight points to start the set from a kill block and two massive quicks. Easy Trip tried different attacks and plays to break through Ateneo’s lockdown net defense, but could not find any daylight. Njigha ended the match with a strong attack splitting two blockers, 15-8.

The Blue Eagles gear up to face the Philippine Air Force Air Spikers at 6:00 PM on Sunday, September 29, at the Paco Arena in Manila.

Set Scores:

Ateneo-CEU: 19-25, 25-21, 25-18, 25-21, 15-8