WITH A chance to snatch the fourth seed in the standings, the Ateneo Women’s Volleyball Team (AWVT) succumbed to the Far Eastern University (FEU) Lady Tamaraws in four sets, 22-25, 25-22, 13-25, 21-25. The University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86 first-round matchup was held earlier today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
With today’s loss, the Blue and White remains at fifth in the standings with a 2-5 win-loss record entering the midseason break.
Lyann De Guzman paced the Blue Eagles with 14 markers, 16 excellent digs, and 16 excellent receptions despite the loss.
Meanwhile, Chenie Tagaod led all scorers with 18 points for the Morayta-based squad, along with 13 excellent receptions and 10 excellent digs. On the other hand, Christine Ubaldo copped 15 excellent sets for the Lady Tamaraws.
On the verge of potentially soaring to a top-four slot with a win, the Blue Eagles got off to a solid start in the first set. This sense of urgency allowed Ateneo to take a 15-13 advantage midway through the canto, courtesy of Sobe Buena’s well-timed attacks. However, this Atenean lead would prove to be volatile as the Tams banked on Gerzel Petallo and Faida Bakanke to regain control, 19-16 in favor of FEU.
Although both sides scored eight points each off attacks in the first set, the Lady Tamaraws managed to pull away with their strong defense, outscoring Ateneo on blocks 4-0 to take the frame, 25-22.
In the second set however, the Blue Eagles would fully turn on the jets as they soared to a 10-5 start with De Guzman leading the charge. After a couple of errors from the side of FEU, Ateneo saw their lead balloon to 18-10.
This was immediately followed by the Lady Tamaraws comeback attempt with a 6-0 run off errors and blocks, but the Blue Eagles never relented their lead until the very end, with Buena’s point off-the-block sealing the set, 25-22.
In an incredible offensive display during the second set, the Blue and White scored off 17 attacks to FEU’s nine, while the Lady Tamaraws mainly relied on Ateneo’s errors to keep within distance.
Despite the Blue Eagles’ dominant set, FEU completely took over in the third canto, zooming to the same 10-5 advantage that Ateneo had in the previous set. Tagaod stunned the Blue Eagles with a flurry of attacks that left Ateneo searching for answers, as the Lady Tamaraws led by as much as 12, 24-12. With Ubaldo capitalizing on an opening in the Atenean defense to cap things off, FEU took the third set in decisive fashion, 25-13.
Banking on their strong output in the third, the Lady Tamaraws capitalized off their opponent’s errors to pull away late. With a victory on the horizon, Jean Asis placed the finishing touches to snatch the win and solo fourth in the standings for FEU, 25-21.
The Blue and White will look to bounce back once the second round of eliminations commences. As of writing, the UAAP has yet to announce the schedule for its upcoming fixtures.
Box Scores:
Ateneo (1): De Guzman – 14, Tsunashima – 11, Buena – 11, Miner – 8, Sulit – 7, Pacia – 3, Fujimoto – 1
FEU (3): Tagaod – 18, Bakanke – 12, J. Asis – 12, Petallo – 10, Panangin – 7, Ubaldo – 6, Truz – 1, A. Asis – 1
Set scores: 22-25, 25-22, 13-25, 21-25
Standings (W-L):
- UST Golden Tigresses (7-0)
- DLSU Lady Spikers (6-1)
- NU Lady Bulldogs (5-2)
- FEU Lady Tamaraws (4-3)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (2-5)
- AdU Lady Falcons (2-5)
- UE Lady Red Warriors (1-5)
- UP Fighting Maroons (0-6)
