THE ATENEO FUDGEE-BARR Blue Eagles (1-4) fell in straight sets to the defending champions, the Cignal HD Spikers (4-1), 14-25, 23-25, 22-25, in the 2022 Spikers’ Turf Open Conference at the Paco Arena in the City of Manila earlier today.
With their fourth loss, the Blue Eagles now hold a 1-4 record after their penultimate match of the tournament. The loss placed them in sixth place out of seven teams after the eighth day of eliminations.
Notably, typical starters Emmanuel Go and Amil Pacinio Jr were unavailable for the Blue Eagles today, with Go having prior academic commitments and Pacinio Jr. feeling under the weather. Leading the Blue Eagles at the sidelines were rookies Kennedy Batas and Jian Matthew Salarzon with 10 points apiece. Additionally, outside hitter Canciano Llenos contributed eight points today, as he took Pacinio Jr.’s place on the starting six.
Meanwhile, an all-around team performance saw veteran players Louie Ramirez, Marck Espejo, and John Paul Bugaoan contribute 13, 12, and 10 points, respectively to quickly conclude the match for Cignal HD and secure their fourth win.
The HD Spikers showed their championship pedigree early on as they made quick work of the Blue and White in the first set, 14-25, with their excellent blocking and intense attacks. Instead of throwing in the towel, the Blue Eagles came fighting back in the second and third frames. It was a push-pull affair all throughout the final two sets, with Cignal’s experience getting them over the line when it mattered most, securing the second set at 25-23, and the last set at 25-22.
Ateneo-Fudgee Barr will conclude the elimination round as they face the still-undefeated National University-Sta. Elena Nationals on Saturday, September 17 at 5:30 PM. Fans can watch the games live on OneSports, Cignal Play, Smart GigaPlay and Spikers’ Turf official website: https://spikersturf.ph/live.
Box scores:
Ateneo: Batas – 10, Salarzon – 10, Llenos – 8, Gopio – 6, Absin – 3
Cignal HD: Ramirez – 13, Espejo – 12, Bugaoan – 10, Intal – 7, Marasigan – 7, Torres – 2, Camposano – 1, Suarez – 1
Set scores:
Ateneo-Cignal HD 14-25, 23-25, 22-25
