THE ATENEO Blue Eagles secured back-to-back wins in their V-League Collegiate Challenge campaign after defeating the Far Eastern University (FEU) Lady Tamaraws in four sets, 25-20, 21-25, 25-21, 25-19, last Wednesday, October 26,  at Paco Arena. This win puts the Blue Eagles at 2-0 in the preliminary round of the conference.

Starting the first set strong with a 4-0 run, the Blue Eagles asserted their dominance early on in the match with Faith Nisperos leading the team’s offense with powerful cross-court attacks. Despite the Lady Tamaraws’ own streak of errors, FEU utilized its middle blockers and capitalized on Ateneo’s flawed floor coverage to tip the match in their favor, 14-16. Refusing to falter, Ateneo relied on the overpowering combination of AC Miner’s kills, Takako Fujimoto’s drop balls, and Vanessa Gandler’s down-the-line attacks to close the set at 25-20.

[Set 1]

Gandler delivers with a clean kill that Lady Tamaraws fail to cover.

Ateneo 19 FEU 16#VLeaguePH

— Caitlin Bernal (@Ayin_TheGUIDON) October 26, 2022

The second canto was a tight-scored set with both teams continuously committing errors in ball reception. Atenean Outside Hitter Lyann De Guzman’s attacks alongside the consistency of Nisperos and Miner on offense did not allow the Lady Tamaraws to pull away. Both teams went neck-and-neck in the majority of the set until their deadlock at 16-16 before the technical timeout. However, the Blue Eagles failed to sustain their momentum as their offensive efforts came short against FEU’s commendable defense, allowing the Lady Tamaraws to take the second set, 21-25.

[Set 2]

Nisperos is on fire with a sharp backrow attack! FEU calls for a timeout as both teams are now tied.

Ateneo 16 FEU 16#VLeaguePH

— Caitlin Bernal (@Ayin_TheGUIDON) October 26, 2022

Determined to bounce back from the previous set loss, the Blue Eagles regained composure and started the third set with a better performance. A huge increase in the intensity of the Ateneo spikers’ attacks made up for their shaky defense in Set 2. Although FEU responded by elevating their blocking and attacking, Ateneo skillfully took over the third set, 25-21, credit to rookie Gena Hora’s excellent digs, Pia Ildefonso’s efficient blocking, and Nisperos’ strong kills from the wing.

[Set 3]

Ildefonso opens the set with a quick attack!

Ateneo 1 FEU 0#VLeaguePH @TheGUIDONSports

— Caitlin Bernal (@Ayin_TheGUIDON) October 26, 2022

Ateneo’s 5-0 run at the beginning of the fourth set created an early upward momentum for the Blue and White. Fujimoto’s unanticipated drop balls continued to bore holes into FEU’s defense while Hora joined her to unload more aggressive running attacks, 10-5. Earning points from the opponents’ multiple attack errors, the Blue Eagles approached the latter part of the set with a beaming six-point lead, 23-17. Nisperos did the honors of finishing the set with a kill that landed on FEU’s back row, 25-19.

[Set 4]

Nisperos finishes the match with an off-tempo spike to the back of FEU’s court!

Ateneo 25 FEU 19#VLeaguePH pic.twitter.com/uvhXN36ti1

— Caitlin Bernal (@Ayin_TheGUIDON) October 26, 2022

“They have defense hustle,” Setter Fujimoto shared when asked about FEU’s main strength. She also said, “Iyon yung aabangan namin sa upcoming UAAP. Meron silang defense at kailangan din naming as a team na maging patient sa ginagawa namin at ‘wag magmadali.” [That’s what we are anticipating in the upcoming UAAP. They have defense and we also have to, as a team, be patient in what we do and avoid rushing.]

Aiming to finish the first round strong, the Ateneo Blue Eagles will look to defeat the Adamson University (AdU) Lady Falcons on October 28, Friday, at 3 PM in Paco Arena, Manila.

Box Scores:

Ateneo: Nisperos – 24, Gandler – 13, Miner – 6, De Guzman – 5, Ildefonso – 4, Hora – 3, Fujimoto – 3, Narit – 2, Sulit – 1

FEU: Tagaod – 21, Asis J. – 9, Monares – 8, Panangin – 5, Asis A. – 4, Devosora – 4 Ubaldo – 1, Papa – 1, Jamili – 1

Set Score:

Ateneo-FEU:  25-20, 21-25, 25-21, 25-19