UNABLE TO re-establish composure, the Ateneo Blue Eagles suffered back-to-back losses in the fourth day of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines’ (UAAP) Beach Volleyball tournament earlier today at the Sands at SM by the Bay in Pasay City.
The Blue and White ran out of gas in an extended match against the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons and remained at the disadvantage against Adamson University (AdU) Soaring Falcons in straight sets.
Men’s match vs. UP
Following a heartbreaking loss in yesterday’s slate, Blue Eagles JM Yu and Amil Pacinio continued to struggle in surpassing their adversity on the sands. Aiming to revitalize their momentum against UP’s Christian Pitogo and Angelo Lipata, the Blue Eagles extended the first set of the match. However, despite their headstrong demeanor in the final sequences, the Blue Eagles eventually fell to the Fighting Maroons, 21-23.
Eager to stun their Katipunan rivals in the second set of the match, the Blue Eagles shifted gears at the onset of the frame. However, their team synergy proved to be not enough as the Blue and White ultimately succumbed to their Katipunan counterparts, 16-21.
Men’s match vs. AdU
Fueled by their tough loss, the Blue Eagles hoped to reignite their flames in their second match of the day. Countering AdU’s Maruel Tan and John Hiltones, Ateneo capitalized on substitute Karl Corregidor and Yu’s reinforced team chemistry. Despite the rookie duo’s dynamic efforts to remain afloat in the first set, the Blue and White submitted to the Soaring Falcons in a four-point loss, 17-21.
Commencing the second set with unsteady composure, the Blue Eagles suffered their greatest disadvantage in their matches so far, bowing down to AdU without reaching the double-digit mark, 8-21.
Despite the two-game losing skid, the Blue and White aim to mount a strong comeback in the team standings tomorrow against the Far Eastern University at 10:45 AM at the same venue.
Set Scores:
Ateneo vs UP: 21-23, 16-21
Ateneo vs AdU: 17-21, 8-21