THREE VICTORIES now chalk up Ateneo’s Final Four contention at the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Beach Volleyball Tournament. The matches took place on Friday, 24 November at the SM Sands by the Bay in the City of Pasay.
Overpowering the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons in their morning session, the Men’s Team proceeded to take down the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Spikers in the afternoon to clinch a Final Four berth. Shortly after, the Women’s Team outscored the DLSU Lady Spikers to keep Ateneo’s hopes alive for a Final Four ticket.
Ateneo vs UP (Men’s)
Having two indoor Outside Hitters has underscored Ateneo’s prowess in Beach Volleyball, as veterans Jian Salarzon and Amil Pacinio continued to pose a formidable threat in the sands. While the tandem’s heavily committed attacks served them an advantage early in the opening set, the Fighting Maroons briskly adapted to match the Blue Eagles’ rhythm. Despite their admirable aggressiveness, Ateneo dropped the first set 15-21 after ineffectively locating blind spots in UP’s defense.
Maintaining composure as they entered the second canto, Salarzon and Pacinio regrouped to take down their contenders with as much poise as there was force in their hits. Pacinio’s keen attentiveness to the attackers’ direction and Salarzon’s well-timed spikes secured the lead for the Blue and White. The back-and-forth affair ended in favor of Ateneo with the Blue Eagles just hanging above a narrow score gap at 21-18.
The deciding set saw both teams producing nail-biting rallies, one eager to sink the other. Finally, Salarzon and Pacinio’s tactical creativity saw the better of UP, ending the Battle of Katipunan with the Blue Eagles toppling the Fighting Maroons 15-8.
Ateneo vs DLSU (Men’s)
Rushing forward with winning momentum in their next game, the Blue Eagles arranged themselves to minimize loopholes in their court defense as they vied against the Green Spikers. Cruising through the first canto, the Katipunan victors overpowered the Taft-based team to secure an insurmountable lead. Rapidly converting more points from seamless attack transitions, Ateneo won the first set 21-16.
Ateneo sustained their carefully calibrated plays in the next set as the Blue and White steadily climbed up the scoreboard. Salarzon and Pacinio asserted their control of the playing field through to the end of the last set, ultimately crushing the Green Spikers 21-13 and earning a slot in the Final Four.
Ateneo vs DLSU (Women’s)
Despite coming from two straight losses in the previous matchup, Roma Doromal and Gena Hora put up a competitive guard against the De La Salle Lady Spikers. The tandem from Katipunan displayed excellent chemistry and sent equally powerful strikes on Taft’s players to draw Ateneo up the team ties. Doromal and Hora efficiently anticipated DLSU’s tactics through the first set, which ended in a sand-slide at 21-12.
After building winning momentum from the first half of the match, the Blue Eagles showed no mercy in the second canto. As the Blue and White continued to rain down heavily on the Lady Spikers, La Salle was unable to recover from its score deficit. The Doromal-Hora pair finally bested their contenders for the day by six points, 21-15.
The Blue Eagle teams will vie for their tie play-offs on Saturday, 25 November at the same venue as Pacinio and Salarzon go head to head with the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws, while Doromal and Hora clash with the University of the East Lady Warriors.
