THE ATENEO Blue Eagles are hailed as the champions of the Season 14 V-League Collegiate Challenge after dominating Game 2 of the finals against the Adamson University (AdU) Lady Falcons. Unlike the usual elimination five-setter match-ups between the two schools, Ateneo made a quick game of Adamson to extinguish their hopes for a final decider game, 25-12 25-22, 25-12. This championship was held earlier today at the Paco Arena in the City of Manila.

Ateneo entered the first set with their eyes on the prize. Playing with utmost tenacity and determination, all seven of the Blue Eagles were performing at the optimum level. Blue Eagle setter Takako Fujimoto was aware of the aggressiveness shown by her teammates, as she maximized all her spikers to shatter Adamson’s defense early on, 13-5. Adamson was bogged down by errors as they struggled to close the gap with Ateneo, ultimately allowing Atenean Team Captain Faith Nisperos to easily finish the set with an ace, 25-12. 

Ateneo played like a well-oiled machine and continued to command the court with a 6-0 run to welcome the second set. Adamson sensed danger and upped both attacking wings to catch up at 21-15, but libero Roma Doromal solidified the Blue and White’s defense to maintain the lead. Ultimately, it was the Lady Falcons’ service errors that cost them the second set at 25-22. 

The victory was in sight for the Blue Eagles as they soared to a 10-point lead in the last set, 20-10. This culminated in Fujimoto’s set up of opposite spiker Lyann de Guzman to earn some of Ateneo’s final points of the game. AC Miners’ tricky float serve then sealed the deal for Ateneo as they secured championship point at 25-12.

Other than the gold, a few of the Blue Eagles collected individual awards for themselves. Vanie Gandler earned the award for the Second Best Outside Spiker, while Roma Doromal was named the Best Libero. After her stellar performance throughout the whole league, Faith Nisperos was crowned as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the conference, the Finals MVP, and the First Best Outside Spiker. 

With this win, Ateneo concludes their preseason campaign and successfully bounces back from the Shakey’s Super League where they were unable to advance to the semifinals. The Blue Eagles look to bring the same fire they showcased today in February as they will soon be suiting up for the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 85 Volleyball Tournament. 

Set Scores:

Ateneo-AdU: 25-12 25-22 25-12

Box Scores: 

Ateneo: Nisperos – 15, De Guzman -11, Gandler – 11, Miner – 8, Narit – 4, 

AdU: Juegos – 7, Cruz – 5, Adolfo – 4, Santiago -4, Almonte – 3, Toring – 2, Nique – 1, Tubu – 1, Tagsip -1,