THE ATENEO Blue Eagles bowed out to the De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Spikers in straight sets, 19-25, 20-25, 23-25 earlier today at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena in Pasay City. This loss eliminated the defending champions in the Final Four semifinals of the UAAP Season 84 Women’s Volleyball Tournament.
For the Blue and White to have kept their championship hopes alive, they needed to defeat DLSU twice, given their rivals’ twice-to-beat advantage. However, the Blue Eagles were knocked out of the Final Four’s stepladder format after being overpowered by the taller and steadier Taft-based squad.
Ateneo and DLSU traded points at the beginning of the first set with impressive attacks from the outside hitters of both teams. Despite Ateneo’s 6-2 run from the quick hits of their middle blockers Joan Narit and Alexis Miner, DLSU immediately countered with their own 8-2 run as Jolina dela Cruz loaded on her serve. Miner managed to notch two straight running attacks to cut DLSU’s lead down to three, 15-18. However, combined efforts from Thea Gagate and Fifi Sharma’s defensive walls were enough for the Lady Spikers to pull away, 23-17. Gagate’s service halted the momentum of the Blue Eagles, ending the set, 19-25.
Redeeming their first set loss, the Blue Eagles began the second set with a 5-2 lead through defensive stops from Faith Nisperos and Erika Raagas. However, the Lady Spiker took over the lead and responded with an all-around contribution from Alleiah Malaluan, Sharma, and dela Cruz’s offensive strategies, 9-13.
Countering their rival’s hits, Ateneo inched closer off the errors of the Lady Spikers along with Lyann de Guzman and Nisperos’ impressive attacks. Despite an offensive onslaught from the Blue and White’s wingers, Sharma’s wall dealt the final blow, 20-25.
In the third and final set, Ateneo fought to keep their back-to-back title hopes alive as Queen Eagle Nisperos carried the failing Ateneo offense. However, the Blue and White struggled to needle their attacks through the DLSU blockers, resulting in the majority of Ateneo’s plays being designed for the 5’11 Nisperos for the duration of the set. With her exceptional reputation at the sideline, Nisperos was able to keep up with their school rivals using her powerful crosscourt smashes that sparked a much-needed 5-0 run in the second half of the set, 19-22.
Despite the efforts of Nisperos, accompanied by the clutch hits of Raagas, Ateneo failed to anticipate the smart moves executed by the more composed DLSU players Malaluan and dela Cruz. Ateneo’s chance to catch up from behind was taken away, as DLSU setter Marionne Alba orchestrated a superb set-up for her reliable outside hitter Malaluan at the wing to secure the set and the match, 23-25.
After an excellent game against DLSU and an impressive season for Ateneo, Jaja Maraguinot was able to garner 13 excellent sets for her rookie-laden team. She was able to set up Nisperos who led the scoring for the Blue and White with 19 points, and veteran Raagas who brought in nine attack points. On the other hand, DLSU concluded the match with three players scoring in double figures, as Malaluan exploded for 16 points while dela Cruz and Gagate put up 13 points each.
As the Ateneo Blue Eagles fell short of their championship-title defense, the DLSU Lady Spikers will advance to the finals against the first-seeded National University Lady Bulldogs at 6:30 PM on June 23 at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Set Score:
Ateneo-DLSU: 19-25, 20-25, 23-25
Box Scores:
Ateneo: Nisperos – 19, Raagas – 9, Miner – 6, Gandler – 4, de Guzman – 3, Narit – 3, Cruz – 1, delos Reyes – 1
DLSU: Malaluan – 16, dela Cruz – 13, Gagate – 13, Sharma – 8, Cruz – 6, Alba – 1
