THE ATENEO Blue Eagles were swept by the Cignal (CIG) HD Spikers, 17-25, 22-25, 12-25, in the Spikers’ Turf 2019 Open Conference Quarterfinals on Tuesday, October 8, at the Paco Arena in Manila City.
Basti Cuerva notched 20 excellent receives despite being the primary target of Cignal’s serves. Team Captain Egie Magadia struggled to free up his spikers against the exceptional net defense of the HD Spikers as they scored nine points on kill blocks alone. The Blue Eagles had a hard time attacking as they only had 22 successful spikes as compared to Cignal’s 43.
An early scoring run in the first set gave Cignal a huge lead entering the first technical timeout (TTO), 2-8. The two teams went back-and-forth, but errors by Ateneo kept them behind at the second TTO, 10-16. While attack errors by Cignal gave the Blue Eagles some hope, Ateneo’s own errors kept them from making a comeback. An attack error on the quick play by Gian Glorioso surrendered set point, 17-25.
It was a close battle to start the second set and wide attacks by the HD Spikers allowed Ateneo to take the lead entering the first TTO, 8-6. A kill to zone six by former Ateneo Team Captain Ysay Marasigan surrendered the lead back to Cignal, 11-12. A 5-0 run later in the set stretched the lead to six, 14-20. A down the line attack by Marasigan put the HD Spikers at set point, 17-24. A service error by Cignal sparked a 5-0 run for Ateneo, but it was too little too late as Cignal eventually ended the set with a spike off the combination play by Marck Espejo, 22-25.
The collegiate squad struggled to contain Cignal’s offense with the club team holding a 10 point lead at the second TTO, 6-16. After this point in the match, Ateneo’s points all came from errors by Cignal. The Blue Eagles had a tough time on offense, with their attacks either getting sent back at the net or sailing wide or the lines. A cross-court attack by Ateneo’s most recent former captain, Karl Baysa, ended the Blue Eagles’ pre-season campaign, 12-25.
The match-up against Cignal was an interesting one as both teams train regularly in the Blue Eagle Gym together. Seven members of Cignal were all former Blue Eagles: Karl Baysa, Manuel Sumanguid, Ish Polvorosa, Marck Espejo, Ysay Marasigan, Rex Intal, and AJ Pareja. The oldest member is Pareja who played all the way back in UAAP Season 67 and won the Most Valuable Player award in Season 72. Marasigan and Cignal’s setter Vince Mangulabnan are also members of the Blue Eagles coaching staff, further emphasizing the level of familiarity between these two teams.
