RAISED SPIRITS had uplifted the Ateneo Women’s Volleyball Team (AWVT) after clawing down the Adamson University Lady Falcons in four sets, 25-19, 25-19, 22-25, and 25-23. The Battle of the Skies took place yesterday at the Mall of Asia Arena in the City of Pasay.
Having chalked up another win, the Blue and White hang on to a fifth-place standing with two wins and four losses in the elimination round of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86 Women’s Volleyball Tournament.
Double trouble outside hitters Lyann De Guzman and Sobe Buena converted 22 points each to pull off Ateneo’s winning stunt, which was heavily backed up by AC Miner’s and Zel Tsunashima’s collective 24-point climb.
As the match began, Taks Fujimoto skillfully activated Ateneo’s attackers to stun Adamson’s defense, 4-2. Towards the midpoint of the first set, the Katipunan squad staggered to break multiple ties against their opponents to claim a hard-fought three-point lead, 12-9. Despite being slightly shaken by the quickly adapting Falcons, the Blue and White climbed to 20 points at the hands of De Guzman while keeping Adamson glued, 20-17. As Tsunashima’s service ace plummeted with finality into the error-prone opposite court, the Blue Eagles snatched the first set, 25-19.
While Ateneo only grew more invigorated in the following set, the second canto saw a complete reversal of scores, 2-4. Soon enough, Yvana Sulit’s service ace, alongside Ateneo’s aggressive presence at the wing gave the Blue Eagles a lead by slamming through buttonholes in Adamson’s defense, 10-7. Despite the Falcons’ aggravated tenacity to reclaim their short-lived upper hand, eagle-eyed defensive specialist and Team Captain Roma Doromal outmatched Adamson’s insistence to score, keeping Katipunan’s court untouched, 16-8. Although the Falcons improved their attempts at cross-court slams, Fujimoto’s continued playmaking proved unpredictable to the Ermita-based squad’s frontline blockers, pulling the Blue Eagles through a maintainable lead, 20-15. De Guzman’s supercharged kills saw the better of Adamson to the end of the second canto, producing a mirrored first-set score, 25-19.
Hungry to take home the game, the Blue Eagles rushed past the clock in a strongly-opened third set, 5-2. The Katipunan-based team remained unflappable against multiple long threats from Adamson’s Ishie Lalongisip, keeping the Falcons behind by four at 11-7. Ateneo was at the cusp of boasting a convincing straight-set victory, but the Blue and White dropped their chances of a sweep as Adamson meticulously aimed deep into the Blue Eagles’ zone one, 20-18. Briefly losing court composure amid their hefty opponents, Ateneo dropped the third set at 22-25.
The final canto saw both teams caught in a back-and-forth affair with the Blue Eagles hanging on a thin thread, 8-9. Keen to steal another set for Adamson, Lady Falcon Lucille Almonte persisted in holding down the Blue and White at 15-15 in the middle of the set, but Buena’s adrenaline-packed hits drew Ateneo out of the fire. Finally, her barrage of attacks sent the Falcons back to their nest after ending the fourth set and the match, 25-23.
The Blue Eagles will look to keep their winning streak on Sunday, 2:00 PM, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City against the Far Eastern University (FEU) Lady Tamaraws.
Box scores:
Ateneo (3): De Guzman – 22, Buena – 22, Miner – 12, Tsunashima – 12, Sulit – 5, Fujimoto – 3, Doromal – 1, Delos Santos – 1, Pacia – 1
Adamson (1): Almonte – 11, Lalongisip – 11, Nuique – 11, Juegos – 6, Ancheta – 4, Jamili – 3, Aljibe – 3, Bascon – 3, Adolfo – 2, Yandoc – 2, Villegas – 1
Set scores:
Ateneo (3)-AdU (1): 25-19, 25-19, 22-25, 25-23
Standings (W/L)
- UST Golden Tigresses (6-0)
- DLSU Lady Spikers (5-1)
- NU Lady Bulldogs (5-1)
- FEU Lady Tamaraws (3-3)
- Ateneo Blue Eagles (2-4)
- AdU Lady Falcons (2-4)
- UE Lady Red Warriors (1-5)
- UP Fighting Maroons (0-6)
