DESPITE COMING off a five-set thriller, the Ateneo-Fudgee Barr Blue Eagles suffered a straight sets loss against D’ Navigators Iloilo, 17-25, 15-25, 19-25, last Sunday at the Paco Arena in the City of Manila.
This loss puts the Blue Eagles at a 1-3 standing in Pool A during the preliminary round of the 2023 Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference, ultimately denying them a chance to secure a spot in the quarterfinals.
Middle-blocker Jett Gopio led the Blue and White with 12 points on nine kills and three denials at the net, while Kennedy Batas followed with 11 markers all on attacks.
On the other side of the court, Kyle Villamor garnered 13 conversions also on smashes, with Giles Torres having nine markers on middle quicks.
Due to their participation in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 86 Beach Volleyball Tournament, the Blue Eagles missed main hitters Jian Salarzon and Amil Pacinio in this contest. Consequently, the Katipunan-based squad relied on Batas and newcomer Anjo Almadro as the left-wingers for points production.
At the onset of the first canto, the Ateneo defense could not keep up with the aggressive approach of the Navigators, who capitalized on Mfena Gwaza and Madzlan Gampong to convert points and burst out into a four-point lead, 11-7. Erroneous sequences by the Blue Eagles gave the Navigators the upper hand throughout the set, furthering the gap to seven, 20-13. Though Batas and Gopio delivered the goods for the Blue and White, multiple service errors and violations granted the Navigators the initial strophe, 25-17.
Entering the second set, an immediate 7-0 scoring salvo by the Navigators had Ateneo struggling to find rhythm in their offensive pattern. The squad could not resolve their inconsistency, enabling the Iloilo-based squad to score with Torres on quick hits and Villamor on combination plays, 18-9. Despite Batas banking on powerful smashes while Gopio added to the scoring board on slide attacks, the Iloilo-based squad relied on Torres to secure their second straight set, 25-15.
Refusing to submit to their opponents, the Ateneo forced persistent deadlocks throughout the third frame with Jan Mangulabnan constantly feeding the ball to middle blockers Cyrus De Guzman and Gopio. However, timing proved to be another mishap for the Blue Eagles after Ryan Daculan miscalculated a dump, while an attack error by Batas resulted in a two-point deficit down the stretch, 16-18.
Despite the Blue and White’s stride to clinch a set highlighted by back-to-back Gopio blocks, an influx of Saura and Cordez deliverables saw Ateneo’s hopes for a quarterfinals appearance slip away on a six-point third set loss, 19-25.
Adamant to muster one last victory, the Blue Eagles are seeking to prevail over the Perpetual—Kinto Altas on Friday, November 24, at 3:00 PM in the same venue.
Set scores:
Ateneo-D’ Navigators: 17-25, 15-25, 19-25
Current Standings (Pool A)
- NU Nationals (4-0)
- Perpetual-Kinto Altas (2-1)
- Philippine Army Troopers (2-1)
- D’ Navigators Iloilo (2-3)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (1-3)
- Don Pacundo—DLSU D Patriots (0-3)
