THE ATENEO Men’s and Women’s Beach Volleyball Teams continue their University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86 Beach Volleyball Tournament stint with mixed results for Day 3. All matches were held earlier today at the Sands at SM by the Bay in the City of Pasay.
The Women’s team fell to a 1-4 win-loss standing after conceding against the National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs, 0-2, and the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Tiger Sands, 1-2. Meanwhile, the Men’s team swept the University of the East (UE) Red Warriors to win their only match of the day, 2-0.
Women’s match vs. NU
Coming off their Saturday afternoon high note, Gena Hora and Roma Doromal’s Sunday started off quite differently, struggling to maintain their momentum as they faced the home-court spikers. Despite their stalwart rapport and commendable anticipation of incoming attacks, the Blue Eagles’ scoring attempts were outweighed by the Lady Bulldogs’ court defense. Unable to regain the upper hand, Ateneo fell five points short of a first-set snatch, 16-21.
While the Blue and White regrouped to match up with NU, their herculean efforts were not enough to shut down their opponents throughout the second canto. Both Doromal’s signature tip attack and Hora’s hefty down-the-line hits were easily read by the Lady Bulldogs, tying Ateneo down to a ten-point deficit. The Blue Eagles were ultimately subdued by NU after the Hora-Doromal tandem failed to convert more than 11 points, dropping their last chance at a deciding set, 11-21.
Men’s match vs. UE
The formidable Ateneo-tandem of Jian Salarzon and Amil Pacinio made easy work of the Red Warriors, besting Jake Abria and Allen Buensalida in a sweep. The Katipunan-based duo asserted dominance from the onset, overwhelming the Red Warriors in the attacking department, 16-10. The Blue Eagles then continued their seamless transition plays to quickly claim the first set, 21-14.
Hungry to wrap the game up, Salarzon and Pacinio intensified their attacking prowess even further to shut down UE’s chances for a comeback. Boasting a comfortable lead akin to the duo’s undeniable chemistry and offensive precision, Ateneo maintained their skillful synergy to conclude the game in their favor, 21-11.
Salarzon and Pacinio will look to collect more wins on Friday, November 24, against the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons at 7 AM, and the De La Salle University Green Spikers at 3:30 PM. Both matches will still be held at the Sands at SM by the Bay in the City of Pasay.
Women’s match vs.UST
In their final game of the day, Head Coach Henry Pecaña’s squad succumbed to the defending champion UST in an extended set game. Ateneo dropped the first canto as they struggled to contain Gen Eslapor and Sofiah Pagara, who gelled excellently to deliver solid hits for an eight-point lead, 21-13.
Refusing to back down straight away, the Blue Eagle duo regrouped to improve their attacking rhythm, going above the Tiger Sands early on, 12-9. Banking on their newfound momentum, Doromal and Hora proceeded to claim a set for themselves to force a final frame 21-17.
Both teams aggressively faced the deciding set, highlighted by unmatched connection in the sands by Eslapor and Pagara. Ateneo managed to tie the game at 14-all, but their efforts were insufficient against the Tiger Sands who sealed the match in clutch fashion, 16-14.
Ateneo will seek to improve their standings on Friday, November 24, as they face the De La Salle University Lady Spikers at 5:45 PM. The match will still be held at the Sands at SM by the Bay in the City of Pasay.
Set Scores:
Women’s Division
Ateneo-NU: 16-21, 11-21
Ateneo-UST: 13-21, 17-21
Men’s Division
Ateneo-UE: 21-14, 21-11
