THE ATENEO Blue Eagles defeated the University of the East (UE) Lady Warriors in a four-set match, 25-14, 20-25, 25-11, 25-14, earlier today at the Mall of Asia Arena (MOA) in Pasay City.

The win puts the Blue Eagles’ record at 3-3 in the elimination round standings of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 84 Women’s Volleyball Tournament.

In the first set, Vanie Gandler started the offense for Ateneo with her spike finding the open attack line, opening up the game at 1-1. Critical unforced errors committed by the UE side allowed the Blue Eagles to gain a small 7-6 lead before gaining more control on the game.

The offensive turnaround midway through the first was powered by stalwarts Faith Nisperos and Gandler, as the Blue Eagles extended their lead to 12-9, The Lady Warriors attempted to make a comeback with powerful crosscourt spikes coming from Kayce Balingit and Janeca Lana, but Nisperos singlehandedly dominated the latter part of the set with her six consecutive attack points, 25-14.

Despite starting the second set strong with an early 3-0 run, the Blue Eagles gave way to UE’s first five points through the team’s own costly unforced errors, 4-5. Nieva of the Lady Warriors erupted from the attack lines, varying her spikes from power kills to drop balls which led to a 9-9 deadlock. Ateneo attempted to pull away but was unsuccessful due in part to their recurring errors.

The Lady Warriors were quick to take advantage of these lapses in concentration, as Nieva and Lana both pounded on the Blue Eagles’ defense. The Lady Warriors exploded with a 5-0 run at the tailend of the set, leaving Ateneo far behind, 18-23. Still unable to recover from their attack errors, Ateneo’s Erika Raagas sent the ball to the net with a backrow, ending the set 20-25 in UE’s favor.

Following a set loss to the Lady Warriors, Ateneo setter Jaja Maraguinot directed the early plays of the third set to middle blocker Alexis Miner for quick attacks, 3-3. After the first technical timeout of the set, UE was yet again plagued by three consecutive errors, sparking an offensive run for Ateneo.

With momentum on their side, Gandler had a run of her own by scoring four straight points through her service aces and down-the-line attacks, giving Ateneo a dominant 17-7 lead. Narit and Nisperos also contributed to the Blue Eagles’ advantage with their transition plays and crosscourt attacks.

UE’s Lana ultimately ended Ateneo’s 9-0 run by swiping the ball off the hands of the blockers, while her opposite spiker Nieva followed it up with her own spike that powered through  the Ateneo defense. However, UE’s potential run was thwarted by the Katipunan squad, as De Guzman scored with her crosscourt attacks to give Ateneo some more breathing room at 22-10. After two great plays from Nisperos in the back row and a service error from the Lady Warriors, Ateneo secured the set at 25-11.

Taking their third-set momentum to the fourth, the Blue Eagles ravaged the Lady Warriors from both the offensive and defensive ends, which the latter could not return. Narit led the charge early with two consecutive service aces and a block; Nisperos also scored from two power kills which immediately put their team three-points ahead, 6-3. Meanwhile, Miner was also contributing in the offense, quickly swiping the ball to evade awaiting blockers. Unable to capitalize on Ateneo’s larger error count, UE drowned in a 12-point deficit, 23-11. Gandler finished off the game and handed Ateneo its third win of the season with a powerful attack that the Lady Warriors’ blockers failed to keep out, 25-14.

Gandler and Nisperos once again showed up for the Blue Eagles with 16 points and 19 points, respectively. Veteran Gandler recorded another classic performance, as she powered the Blue Eagles to an even 0.500 record for the season after six games. Nisperos’ explosive spiking was a key driver behind Ateneo’s success in the game, as she propelled the Blue and White to their third win of the season. Maraguinot did a terrific job orchestrating the offense, bringing in 24 excellent sets for the Blue Eagles’ outside hitters. At the opposite end of the court, UE’s 28 errors means they remain at the bottom of the team standings with a 0-4 record.

The Blue Eagles look to build on their winning streak as they face the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Golden Tigresses on Thursday, May 19, 4:00 PM at the MOA Arena.

Set Scores:

Ateneo-UE: 25-14, 20-25, 25-11, 25-14

Box Scores: 

Ateneo: Nisperos – 19 , Gandler – 16, Narit – 9, Raagas – 9, Miner – 6, Maraguinot – 3, De Guzman – 2, Delos Reyes – 1, Fujimoto – 1

UE: Lana – 13, Nieva – 12, Manalo – 4, Pelaga – 3, Balingit – 2, Nogales – 1, Quizon – 1