THE ATENEO Blue Eagles fell short in their bid to avenge their first round loss to the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Spikers, conceding in five sets, 25-21, 18-25, 25-20, 22-25, 27-25. The much-awaited contest in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 was held earlier today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
The defeat drops Ateneo’s record to 6-4, placing them in a heated race for coveted spots in the Final Four of the Men’s Volleyball tournament.
Leading the Blue Eagles’ extraordinary effort was Kennedy Batas, who tallied 26 points, all from attacks. Jian Salarzon also hit the 20-point marker, scoring 20 points of his own.
Opening the set imbued with confidence, the Blue Eagles entered the taraflex ready for sweet revenge against their long standing rivals. Manning the frontline, the winger trio of Batas, Salarzon, and Amil Pacinio immediately delivered with commanding attacks that shaped the opening sequences of the set, 3-2.
Capitalizing on their offensive leg, the formidable winger combination capitalized on DLSU’s defensive lapses , 5-3. Bolstering the flock with their athletic prowess, Ateneo’s middle blockers Brian Castro and Jetlee Gopio contributed to the fiery scoring spree with their strategic drops from the middle, 7-4.
In an attempt to break Ateneo’s momentum, veteran Green Spikers Vince Maglinao and Noel Kampton responded with combination play attacks to bring the game to as close as one, 9-8. However, Salarzon quickly countered with a strategic down-the-line attack to bring back momentum to the Blue Eagles, 11-9.
Midway through the set, the Blue and White maximized their offensive units on all ends of the court. With Salarzon spearheading the Blue Eagles’ aggressive attack front, Ateneo held on to their advantage throughout the midpoint, 18-16.
As the set came to a close, the Blue and White maintained their steady composure. Salarzon continued his dominant bout in the frontline, ultimately clinching the Blue Eagles’ first set win of the match, 25-21.
A back-and-forth at the net kicked off the second set, with Batas delivering an attack over the blockers to give the Blue Eagles an early 3-2 advantage.
Veteran libero Lance de Castro paced the Blue and White, as the team captain’s hustle maintained Ateneo’s cushion, 7-5. Back-to-back errors from Kampton saw the Blue Eagles’ lead extend to their largest of the set, 9-6.
Shifting the tide, however, the Green Spikers’ heavy attacks from the service line placed the Ateneo defense in disarray. Following a powerful block by DLSU’s Rui Ventura, the Green Spikers took a 10-9 lead, their first of the match.
Playing off their improved floor defense and passing, the potent La Salle attack front continued to execute, as Maglinao extended the Green Spiker lead to 14-11. A backrow attack from Batas stymied DLSU’s run, but errors continued to haunt the Blue and White and extend their deficit to 15-21.
A Salarzon service ace attempted to carry the Blue Eagles back into contention, but this momentum was quickly stifled as Batas was turned away at the net, 17-23. DLSU’s Joshua Rodriguez delivered the final blow of the second set, as his down-the-line hammer sealed the set in favor of La Salle, 25-18.
Fueled by their set loss, the Blue Eagles re-entered the court with renewed ardor. The opening of the third frame saw a few intense exchanges from the rivals. However, Salarzon established the tone of the set with a service ace at 7-4.
With Pacinio in the frontline, Ateneo kept the upper hand with their commanding offense. Back-to-back service aces from Gopio at 11-8 then forced the Green Spikers to call for time.
Despite the momentary halt, Ateneo proceeded to capitalize off an influx of errors on the side of La Salle, 13-9. Firing from all wings of the court, Batas and Pacinio’s mastery further fed the Blue Eagles’ momentum to extend their lead to five, 18-13.
The backend of the set saw Ateneo’s wingers pulling their offensive hustles to the limit. While the Green Spikers mounted a huge comeback to narrow the gap, perfectly-calculated plays from Castro, Gopio, and Batas copped the set clincher for the Blue Eagles at 25-21.
Despite having a chance to close out the match, Blue Eagles opened the fourth set trailing, as back-to-back service errors from the Katipunan-based squad placed them in a 1-3 hole. Keeping themselves within striking distance, a well-executed combination play by Salarzon brought them even closer, 7-8.
The reinforced Blue Eagle net defense proved to be daunting for La Salle, as an attack from Kampton sailed out of bounds to give the Blue Eagles their first lead of the set, 11-10. Another monster one-on-one denial by Gopio fueled the Ateneo run, bringing their lead to three at 16-13.
A perfectly placed set by Enzo Gutierrez set Salarzon up for a stellar crosscourt attack, but an ever-steady Maglinao rallied the DLSU attack, bringing the match to a deadlock at 19-all.
The delay on the Ateneo attack heightened La Salle’s execution, as the Green Spikers slowly pulled away with a 22-20 lead. Once again, it was Rodriguez who delivered the final killshot for DLSU, 25-22, pushing the match to a deciding final set.
Despite DLSU’s strong fourth set closer, the pivotal fifth set opened with the momentum on Ateneo’s side, highlighted by a classic Batas off-the-block attack, 1-0. With unwavering energy from the Blue Eagles, the Katipunan-based unit swiftly cruised to a 4-0 lead.
As both ends of the court donned confidence, a nail-biting back-and-forth sent the crowd off their seats. However, the defensive lapses of DLSU allowed the Blue Eagles to lead midway through the set, 8-6. Unbothered by Ateneo’s willful chemistry, Kampton’s aggressive attack front remained the Green Spikers afloat, 8-10.
Even after suffering an injury scare, Batas rallied back to re-enter the game and power Ateneo back from behind. The exhaustion failed to hinder the veteran’s composure as Batas converted on four consecutive points to bring the Blue Eagles back into the game and reach match point, 15-14.
However, the supposed 15-point steppet turned into an extended game, with never-ending rallies dominating the final stages of the match. Throughout the set, both teams fronted excellent defense receptions which increased scoring opportunities on both ends. Salarzon’s prowess once again shone as another off-the-block kill handed the Blue Eagles their seventh match point, 25-24.
However, as the extended set’s back-and-forth reached regulation scoring, the Green Spikers’ insertion of Uriel Mendoza paid dividends, as the wing spiker delivered a crucial attack through the block to bring DLSU to game’s final match point, 26-25. An emphatic rejection of the red-hot Salarzon’s hit ultimately claimed a vindictive victory over their age-old rivals, 27-25.
Following today’s results, the AMVT hopes to shake off the tough loss as they go against another Final Four contender in the University of Santo Tomas Golden Spikers on Saturday, April 5, at 9:00 AM in the same venue.
Box scores:
Ateneo (2): Batas – 26, Salarzon – 20, Pacinio – 18, Gopio – 10, Castro – 7
DLSU (3): Kampton – 27, Maglinao – 22, Ventura – 10, Rodriguez – 8, Fortuna – 6, Del Pilar – 6, Adajar – 2, Mendoza – 2
Set scores:
Ateneo-DLSU: 25-21, 18-25, 25-20, 22-25, 25-27
Current Standings (W-L):
- FEU Tamaraws (9-0)
- NU Bulldogs (7-2)
- DLSU Green Spikers (6-4)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (6-4)
- UST Golden Spikers (5-4)
- AdU Soaring Falcons (2-7)
- UP Fighting Maroons (2-7)
- UE Red Warriors (0-9)
