THE ATENEO Blue Eagles drop their second round match-up against the Adamson University (AdU) Lady Falcons in three straight sets, 23-25, 17-25, 24-26. The University Athletic Association of the Philippines’ (UAAP) Season 85 Women’s Volleyball Tournament match was held earlier today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City.

In the beginning of the first set, team captain Faith Nisperos and veteran Vanie Gandler led Ateneo with their powerful offensive attacks. Quickly responding to the Ateneo outside hitter-duo, AdU’s Trisha Tubu and Kate Santiago countered with their aggressive kills. Both AdU and Ateneo strengthened their defensive walls against each other, and traded points off each other’s errors. However, a miscommunication error from the Blue Eagles gave the first set to the Lady Falcons, 23-25.

Aiming to regain their momentum, the Blue and White started strong in the second set with Lyann de Guzman and Nisperos’ impressive attacks. Tubu and Santiago turned to using deep crosscourt shots and powerful serves to instigate a six-point lead for Adamson, 20-14. With the Blue Eagles mounting errors, AdU capitalized on these free points as Aprylle Tagsip’s drop shot secured the Lady Falcons the second set, 25-17.

Hoping to claim the match in three sets, the Lady Falcons had an early lead in the third set. Nisperos and middle blocker AC Miner contributed on strategic offensive plays to slowly inch closer to AdU. Maximizing on the Lady Falcons’ errors, the Blue Eagles quickly had a 4-0 run to cut the lead down to four, 14-18. However, combined efforts from middle blocker Honey Toring and Tubu’s powerful hits from the middle and wings placed the Lady Falcons on top, 25-24. Eventually, the Blue and White were not able to defend against Lucille Almonte’s deep down the line attack, giving away the match at 24-26.

This three straight set loss puts Ateneo at 3-6 record, keeping them at sixth place. Hoping to bounce back from the loss, the Blue Eagles will face the University of Santo Tomas Golden Tigresses on April 15, Saturday, at 2:00 PM in the PhilSports Arena, City of Pasig.

Box scores:

Ateneo: Nisperos – 17, Gandler – 10, Miner – 6, Lomocso – 4, Narit – 4, de Guzman – 3, Fujimoto – 1

AdU: Santiago – 18, Tubu – 17, Toring – 9, Almonte – 8, Tagsip – 7, Cruz – 2Set scores: 23-25, 17-25, 24-26