THE ATENEO Blue Eagles kickstarted their University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86 campaign with a victory over the Adamson University (AdU) Soaring Falcons in four sets, 25-17, 25-19, 22-25, 25-23. The match took place earlier today at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Both squads grappled for attacking dominance to open their respective seasons. Adamson ace Jude Aguilar immediately challenged the Blue Eagles defense with a combination play from the middle, giving them an early 3-1 lead. The Soaring Falcons continued to showcase their frontline ability until Ateneo veteran Amil Pacinio—now playing as an opposite hitter—executed a clean cut shot and an ace to level the board at 6-6.
With Team Captain Lance De Castro fortifying the backrow defense via flawless reception, ever-reliable hitters Jett Gopio and Kennedy Batas then successfully shifted court momentum to Katipunan with loaded kills, 9-7. While Adamson attempted to regain their footing, star spiker Jian Salarzon stifled their efforts with powerful serves from the deck to further extend their advantage, 16-10.
Unrelenting from the left wing, Batas widened the lead for the Blue Eagles as rookie blocker Brian Castro was also activated to provide firepower from the middle, 20-11. Although Adamson’s Ahmed Tahiluddin delivered successful kills toward the latter half of the set, top-notch recovery and composure from Ateneo sealed the set in their favor, 25-17.
The Blue Eagles entered a similar defensive lull to start the second set, surrendering a 1-4 start to the Soaring Falcons. Eager to reestablish their team’s momentum, however, Pacinio and Salarzon spearheaded an 8-1 Ateneo run with swift spikes to retake the lead, 9-5.
Further lifting the Katipunan-based squad at the midpoint was Gopio, who provided multiple timely denials to maintain his team’s advantage, 13-9. Enzo Gutierrez and Castro also played major roles in increasing Ateneo’s lead with Gutierrez’s service ace and Castro’s off-the-block kill capping a 7-2 run, 20-13. Despite a late outburst by AdU, Batas ended any hopes of a comeback with an emphatic cross-court attack to capture a 25-19 victory and a 2-0 set lead.
Determined to extend the game, the Soaring Falcons increased attacking pressure to start the crucial set. The Katipunan-based squad matched their tempo with solid floor defense, but quickly fell victim to their own attack errors, 13-15.
Batas kept the Ateneo squad afloat with his attacking prowess, but his efforts were insufficient as Soaring Falcons Mark Coguimbal and Marc Paulino delivered a series of crucial blocks and down-the-line hits, 23-18. Although the Blue and White responded with better floor and net defense to spark a comeback run, 24-21, Ateneo failed to contain their errors and conceded the set to Adamson, 22-25.
Immediately bouncing back from their previous set, the Blue Eagles built a 6-3 lead early on in the fourth frame courtesy of Batas’ offensive firepower. However, Ateneo would once again be plagued by errors, allowing Adamson to keep within distance, 9-12.
Righting the ship for the Blue Eagles, Pacinio and Batas took turns outsmarting the Soaring Falcon defense to extend their lead to four, 15-11. Both units then went back and forth in the closing sequence of the frame, not letting the other capture more than a four-point lead. Gopio and Batas’ powerful attacks ultimately proved to be too much for Adamson, allowing Ateneo to narrowly end the game with a 25-23 set victory.
After a commendable start, De Castro noted that the biggest difference for the new season is the squad embracing their own roles in the team. “The togetherness and the bond is there. Bawat isa sa amin (Each one of us), we’re taking each of [our] roles seriously. The leadership isn’t solely coming from me now, it’s coming from them, but in their own ways,” the skipper shared.
Eager to maintain their winning form, the Ateneo Blue Eagles will meet the National University Bulldogs on Wednesday, February 19, at 9:00 AM in the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
Box scores:
Ateneo (3) – Batas – 24, Pacinio – 18, Salarzon – 11, Gopio – 10, Castro – 7, Gutierrez – 5, Reyes – 0, Taluban – 0, De Castro – 0, Almadro – 0
AdU (1) – Paulino – 13, Tahiluddin – 11, Coguimbal – 8, Aguilar – 7, Ballon – 6, Gutierrez – 5, Domingo – 1, Canlas – 0, Menor – 0, Bermudez – 0, Hitones – 0, Cuadra – 0
Set scores:
Ateneo-AdU: 25-17, 25-19, 22-25, 25-23
