THE ATENEO Blue Eagles continued their University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 85 stint with a much-needed victory against the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws, 25-21, 25-23, 23-25, 25-27, 15-7, earlier today at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena in Pasay City. 

This win puts the Blue Eagles at a 6-6 win-loss standing in the second elimination round—good for fifth place. 

Egie Magadia led the offensive attack in the victory with 21 excellent sets while standout rookie Jian Salarzon delivered with 29 points to his name. 

Middle Blocker Chad Absin drew first blood for the Blue Eagles in the nail-biter first canto, with both teams caught in a skirmish for the lead. Despite an aggressive show of kills from seasoned Outside Hitters Abai Llenos and Salarzon, Ateneo struggled to draw level with FEU’s offensive force, 7-8. As Absin continued to shine through the first half of the set by sending quick shots down the middle to tie the score, the Blue Eagles were handed an easy three-point lead following the Tamaraws’ consistent errors, 16-13.

Despite Salarzon’s failed attempts at ball recovery on the floor, the rookie continued to knuckle down deadly attacks from the wing, bringing the score to 20-19. Hustling through a back-and-forth affair in the final rallies of the set, the Blue Eagles claimed the match opener, 25-21.

The Tamaraws then took the lead in the second set by using efficient blocks against Salarzon, 5-7. Veteran setter Magadia quickly adjusted to FEU’s defense by setting up Gopio’s sneaky slide attack to close the lead, 7-7. Salarzon was constantly guarded at the net, challenging the rookie and the floor defense, 12-14, but Gopio’s quick hit leveled the game for the Blue and White once again, 15-15. Ateneo’s middle blockers continued to lead the offense to claim the upper hand. Magadia set up Gopio’s lethal quick to finish the set, 25-23. 

With Ateneo one set away from victory, both teams relentlessly hammered down on each other to tie the score at five-all. The Tamaraws were quick to adapt to Ateneo’s guarded tactic, firing through loopholes in the Blue Eagles’ defense to build a solid eight-point lead, 9-17. Amil Pacinio’s substitution into the court proved efficient as a scoreboard chaser as the outside hitter provided a cushion, 16-18. Despite Pacinio’s herculean efforts in shutting down the Tamaraws, tenacious attacks from FEU’s Mark Calado prevented Ateneo from gaining momentum after tying the score, 22-22. The Blue Eagles then suffered from unretrievable off-the-block hits by the Tamaraws, resulting in Ateneo dropping the third set, 23-25. 

The fourth set was a closely contested affair to begin with. However, the Blue Eagles successfully created a three-point lead with Batas running the offensive line, 16-13. Calado sensed danger and delivered drop balls to destabilize the Blue and White’s defense, and the lead began to trade between the two teams, 22-21. Amil Pacinio strengthened the attacking wings, successfully keeping Calado at bay but the Tamaraw Spikers continued to challenge back-row defenders. After gaining the match point, Pacinio took advantage of the over-receive but FEU won the net call challenge to tie the game at 25-25. Forcing a fifth set, Calado unloaded a clean kill that was too much for Ateneo’s defenders, 25-27. 

The Blue Eagles were unfazed by the previous two-set scare, clinching an uninterrupted nine-point lead from unshakable blocks and furious diagonal blows from Salarzon, 9-0. Even with FEU’s ambitious attacks to even out the playing field, the Tamaraws were unable to recover from their deficit due to Ateneo’s offensive powerhouse, eventually giving the Blue Eagles the match at 15-7. 

The Ateneo Blue Eagles aim to continue their good form against long-time rivals, the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Spikers on Sunday, April 23, at 4:00 PM at the MOA Arena in Pasay City.

Set Scores:

25-21, 25-23, 23-25,  25-27, 15-7

Box Scores:

Ateneo: Salarzon – 29, Absin – 14, Gopio – 13, Batas – 12, Pacinio – 11, Llenos – 4, Magadia – 2

FEU: Calado – 31, Sabanal – 15, Saavedra – 14, Talisayan – 8, Domingo – 4, Bugaoan – 1, Abuniawan – 1