CONCLUDING THEIR stint on a high note, the Ateneo Blue Eagles solidified their fifth-place finish with a 25-13, 25-17, 25-21 drubbing of the Adamson University (AdU) Lady Falcons. The final elimination-round match was held earlier today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
Co-Captain Lyann De Guzman led all scorers with 14 attack points, while Sobe Buena copped eight markers along with three blocks, to add to her nine excellent digs for the Blue and White.
The Blue Eagles got off to a hot start, courtesy of De Guzman’s four early points, to take a decisive 8-1 lead. With momentum on their side, Ateneo banked on Adamson’s multitude of errors to spark a 9-3 run, extending their advantage to 20-9.
In what was one of the Blue Eagles’ best sets of the season, substitute Ysa Nisperos swiftly closed out the frame for Ateneo with her attack, 25-13.
Despite the dominant opening set by the Katipunan-based squad, the Lady Falcons managed to keep in step in the succeeding frame. Reaching consecutive deadlocks early on, the Blue Eagles broke away with a 4-0 run, capped off by AC Miner’s service ace, 16-12.
With errors plaguing the Ermita-based side, Ateneo dominated the backend with four unanswered points en route to taking the second set, 25-17. Although the Blue Eagles scored less points off attacks, the Lady Falcons suffered from an abysmal 14 errors throughout the frame.
However, Adamson seemed to find answers at the onset of the third, going up 8-6. The Blue and White never relented and came back with well-timed attacks. De Guzman shined anew with consecutive points to give the advantage back to Ateneo, 9-8.
In what eventually became a dogfight midway through the third, the Blue Eagles leaned on the combined heroics of Buena and Sulit to gain a slight advantage, 20-18. At the brink of securing their final win of the season, an attack error by Adamson capped off Ateneo’s flawless victory, 25-21.
Sharing her plans on entering the professional ranks following this UAAP season, Team Captain Roma Mae Doromal also showed her gratitude for the Blue and White faithful throughout her collegiate journey.
“We’re very thankful sa lahat ng Ateneo community that supported us, we know that their support and prayers are there. Hindi ‘to magiging possible if wala din ‘yung support nila,” the libero shared.
Meanwhile, Co-Captain De Guzman noted that she is still mulling her plans for next year, but reiterates the same sentiments as Doromal.
“I’m very happy din, hindi sila nagsasawang supportahan kami kahit anong mangyari, nandiyan pa rin sila,” De Guzman added.
(I’m very happy too, they never ceased supporting us no matter what happened, they were always there.)
Seeking to return to the Final Four for the first time since 2022, the Blue Eagles hope to keep the trend going, considering their improvement from their sixth-place finish in Season 85.
Box scores:
Ateneo (3): De Guzman – 14, Buena – 8, Tsunashima – 7, Miner – 5, Sulit – 5, Delos Santos – 1, Fujimoto – 1, Nisperos – 1, Pacia – 1
AdU (0): Jamili – 4, Ancheta – 4, Nuique – 4, Lalongisip – 4, Bascon – 4, Yandoc – 3, Villegas – 3, Adolfo – 3, Aljibe – 3, Juegos – 3, Almonte – 2
Set scores:
Ateneo-AdU: 25-13, 25-17, 25-21
Current Standings (W-L):
- NU Lady Bulldogs (11-2)
- DLSU Lady Spikers (11-2)
- UST Golden Tigresses (11-2)
- FEU Lady Tamaraws (9-4)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (5-9)
- AdU Lady Falcons (3-10)
- UE Lady Red Warriors (2-11)
- UP Fighting Maroons (1-11)
