THE BLUE Eagles opened their campaign in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Women’s Volleyball Tournament with a loss against the De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Spikers, 1-3. Ateneo’s faulty reception plagued the latter half of the match as the Blue Eagles bowed to the Lady Spikers, 25-22, 23-25, 18-25, 20-25 earlier today at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena in Pasay City.

This loss places the Blue Eagles at 0-1 in the elimination round standings of the tournament.

The match started off slow with both teams scoring off each other’s unforced errors. Momentum picked up for Ateneo when the Blue Eagles fended off an early 5-0 run by the Lady Spikers as they pulled away 18-15, courtesy of attacks by Vanie Gandler and Faith Nisperos. While DLSU took advantage of Ateneo’s crumbling defense at the reception side, Nisperos and her teammates emerged stronger after a deciding hit that awarded them the first set, 25-22.

Maintaining the same scoring pattern that kept the Blue Eagles and Lady Spikers toe-to-toe, the DLSU squad began pulling away after a timeout with a 5-1 run through off-the-block attacks of Malaluan and the team’s more reliable blockings. Allowing the Lady Spikers a one-point advantage, 22-23, Ateneo failed to orchestrate a comeback in the second set and succumbed to DLSU, 23-25.

Unsuccessful in solidifying their defenses, the Blue Eagles entered the third set with a single point deficit, 1-2. Despite their efforts to provide a bastion at the net, the Blue Eagles’ blockers were unable to keep the left-handed Soreño in check, 9-10. Gandler put a stop to the run of the Lady Spikers with back-to-back points in an effort to close the gap, 13-15.

After gaining a short run of their own, the Blue Eagles lost their momentum following an over-reception from Team Captain Dani Ravena, 15-20. Despite Nisperos’ last efforts to take the set back from the service line, the Blue Eagles gave up the third set, 18-25.

In the final set, Ateneo failed to respond to a combination play in the middle and granted DLSU the lead, 2-4. An attack error from the Lady Spikers offered the Blue Eagles a chance to catch up, 4-7. Alexis Miner met DLSU’s Soreño at the top of the net, but failed to put a stop to the Lady Spiker, 10-13. In a much needed 3-0 run, Nisperos caught the Lady Spikers off guard with a combination play down the middle, 19-21. After several scramble plays, Nisperos was unable to score from the back row and ended the set, 20-25.

Nisperos was the bright spot for the Blue and White, as she led all players with 24 points. On the other hand, DLSU’s attack was bolstered by Soreño’s 17 points.

The Blue Eagles are set to face the National University Bulldogs on Saturday, May 7, 10:00 AM at the MOA Arena in Pasay City.

Set Scores:

Ateneo-DLSU: 25-22, 23-25, 18-25, 20-25