With this year’s University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 Women’s Volleyball tournament under way, this weekly series navigates through the stories surrounding the Blue Eagles as they aim to revive the glory days of Ateneo Volleyball. 

FROM CRUSHING defeats to a spirited victory, the Ateneo Women’s Volleyball Team (AWVT) has experienced a roller coaster of emotions at the beginning of their UAAP Season 87 campaign. Having to grapple with a couple of unexpected injuries, the Blue Eagles currently sit at sixth place with a 1-2 record.

Ateneo opened their season with a fiery start in their first two sets but ultimately folded in a reverse-sweep loss against the Adamson University (AdU) Lady Falcons. Adding insult to injury, Jennifer Delos Santos—who got hurt before the season started—and Geezel Tsunashima were then ruled out for the remainder of the season a few days after the game.

The Blue and White were unable to quickly put such concerns in the rear view mirror as they then stumbled against defending champions National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs in their next contest, 0-3.

Amid growing concerns about their troubled start, Ateneo displayed resilience in a commanding 3-0 sweep to hand the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons their first loss of the year. The dominant victory revived optimism about the team’s capabilities to achieve special feats in the current season.

Having now spent more time in fine-tuning their system, the AWVT looks to leverage their growing confidence heading into their matchups against last season’s Final Four contenders.

Frontrow upside

Caleb: Amid a myriad of adversities the Blue Eagles have encountered thus far, a promising positive stands out—their well-distributed offense. Three games into the season, the Katipunan-based squad has shown its attacking versatility, relying not only on a few standouts, but on multiple cogs to slot the incursions. True to their form, the Blue Eagles’ high-octane matches against Adamson and UP saw three or more Ateneans breach the double-digit mark. Beyond the usual efforts of veterans AC Miner, Lyann De Guzman, and Sobe Buena, the opening cycle of games also saw rookies Alex Montoro and Jihan Chuatico getting into the offensive mix.

Ateneo currently ranks second in spiking, just behind the Lady Bulldogs, with a 32.06% success rate. While the Blue Eagles have leveraged their variety of options to deliver the kills, much of these impressive numbers can be attributed to Miner’s newfound brilliance as an opposite hitter. Growing fully accustomed to her new role, the veteran has been one of the most consistent scorers in the team, most notably dropping 18 points in Ateneo’s season opener.

While the Blue and White’s attacking has thus far been well-balanced and arguably on par with the league’s best, we have yet to see its best form. Integral to the AWVT offense is De Guzman, who has uncharacteristically had a rough start to the season. Emerging as one of the league’s top scorers last year, the captain was surprisingly held to single digits in her first two outings. However, showing utmost grit and positive signs moving forward, De Guzman immediately bounced back, notching 14 markers against the Fighting Maroons.

Also instrumental in AWVT’s frontcourt is Buena, who, despite sitting out the first two games, showed no signs of needing to reacclimate, as her 17 points propelled Ateneo to their first victory of the season.

Considering the efficiency of Ateneo’s frontline despite a dip in numbers from some of their key scorers, the sky is still the limit moving forward for the Blue and White. One can only imagine the offensive potential when the stars align and the frontcourt trio matches their expected outputs. As seen in their win against UP, a full-throttle Ateneo offense poses a distinct problem for any opposing floor coverages.

With De Guzman slowly regaining her form and a returning Buena providing added wing depth, it might just spell the difference for the AWVT as they enter the halfway mark of the first round. As long as they build on their attacking efficiency and address concerns on the defensive end, the Katipunan-based squad will soon find their peak in no time.

Continuing the fight 

Ravi: If anyone thought the AWVT were headed for another rebuilding season following their first two games, the Blue Eagles seem to have other ideas, proving the One Big Fight spirit lives on.

Despite the loss of two wing attackers, Ateneo’s offense quickly recovered in the third match—proven by their rise to league number two in spiking. More importantly, sweeping a then-undefeated opponent is a mental boost for the Loyola Heights-based squad, displaying their capability to handle any obstacle thrown their way.

Proof of this is how the season-ending injuries suffered by Tsunashima and Delos Santos have rallied the Blue and White to be more motivated than ever in their pursuit of a Final Four bid.

“We’re not just playing for ourselves; we’re playing for the Ateneo community, Zel, and JLo. I think that’s something we can gather strength from,” Buena stated after their victory over the Fighting Maroons.

However, in spite of the team’s high spirits, the Blue Eagles cannot keep banking on the same faces if they want to increase their chances this season. As evident in their losses to Adamson and NU, Ateneo suffers from cold streaks, especially in the latter sets when opposing teams find success in denying their main attackers. This is where Head Coach Sergio Veloso emphasized the need for every player to exhibit the next-man-up mentality.

“No matter if you’re a rookie or a senior, I’ll give you a chance to play,” the Brazilian tactician noted, on how he will approach the rest of the season.

The question is who else from the Blue Eagles’ nest can respond to the call.

Rookies Montoro and Chuatico showed their potential on the offensive end as top scorers against a defensive juggernaut in NU.

Montoro, who can quickly make an impact when Ateneo needs to score, has served as a reliable open hitter off the bench. In her first game, she attempted to halt the Adamson comeback when Tsunashima went down in the fifth set.

Meanwhile, middle blocker Chuatico was given the starting nod in all three games. The Bacolod native’s continuing involvement in the rotation will be instrumental, especially in the blocking department–where Ateneo currently ranks last in the league.

Throughout the season’s opening stretch, Veloso displayed no fear in digging deeper into his rotation, with bench players KC Cortez, Zey Pacia, and Rob Silla also seeing glimpses of action. While the trio have yet to break out, the trust being given out by Veloso may eventually pay off.

Ultimately, the Blue Eagles will need to harness a collective effort to fill the shoes of their seniors. While the task at hand may seem daunting, the combined desire to fight for their wounded comrades and unwavering belief from their head coach may be the recipe for a Cinderella run towards the upper echelon of the league.

Upcoming games

Sunday, March 2, at 3:00 PM, vs. the FEU Lady Tamaraws at the SM Mall of Asia Arena

Sunday, March 9, at 3:00 PM, vs. the UST Growling Tigresses at the SM Mall of Asia Arena