THE ATENEO Men’s Volleyball Team (AMVT) was defeated by the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraw Spikers, in four sets, 26-24, 15-25 22-25, 25-27. The match was held earlier today in the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.
This loss places the Blue Eagles at a 1-3 win-loss record in the elimination round standings of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 85 Men’s Volleyball Tournament.
Jian Salarzon led the Blue and White with 20 points with five blocks to his name. Similarly, veteran setter Egie Magadia exploded for 23 excellent sets.
Ateneo commanded court energy early on with a block and an attack from rookie Chad Absin, 3-1. Magadia’s carefully distributed sets and Ken Batas’ hard-hitting services stopped the Tamaraws from gaining further momentum, 9-4. Ateneo then took a rocky climb past the second technical timeout and incurred two service errors, 19-16. Salarzon’s sharp kill down the court brought the Blue and White to their first set point, 24-21. Three points were handed to the Tamaraws after Ateneo’s consecutive errors at reception, but Salarzon’s attack earned the team its second chance at claiming the set, 25-24. A perfectly-timed block from Jett Gopio concluded the first set for Ateneo, 26-24.
The second set of the match saw a vigorous exchange in kills from both teams. Kennedy Batas’s skillful play at the net gained two back-to-back points for Ateneo, bringing the tie to 7-7. The Tamaraws took advantage of Ateneo’s scattered offensive line, securing an uninterrupted climb to a six-point lead, 18-12. Salarzon’s slam from the wing after FEU’s long attack ended the Blue and White’s point drought, 13-18. Ateneo was left unmatched against the unrelenting Tamaraw Spikers, giving up the set at 15-25.
The squad from Katipunan opened the third set with back to back errors, allowing FEU to have a comfortable lead at 4-10. Following this, the Blue Eagles tried to maximize their offense to catch the lead with Salarzon successfully blocking FEU at 14-15. Salarzon then managed to bring the set to a tie at 20-20, but FEU adjusted accordingly and successfully shut the rookie down. Despite Batas attempts to save the set, a costly reception error caused the Blue Eagles to drop the crucial third set at 23-25.
Coming into the fourth set, middle blocker Absin and setter Magadia connected in order to establish an early 7-5 lead against FEU. The Tamaraw Spikers caught up with Absins speed of play allowing FEU to take the offensive momentum for themselves, 16-19. Batas, Salarzon, and Gopio combined their offensive efforts to tie the match at 24-24.Soon enough, FEU found spots in Ateneo’s broken defense and ended the match with a drop ball at 25-27.
The Blue Eagles will look to secure their second win against the Adamson University (AdU) Soaring Falcons, on Sunday, March 12, 2023 at 4:00 PM at the FilOil EcoOil Arena in the City of San Juan.
