IN A tight encounter that saw the first three sets go down the wire, the Ateneo Blue Eagles were trounced by the Far Eastern University (FEU) Lady Tamaraws, 23-25, 25-22, 23-25, 13-25. The midweek matchup in the eliminations round of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 87 was held earlier today, April 9, at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.
This loss puts the Blue Eagles seventh in the standings with a 4-8 record in the elimination round standings.
Veteran AC Miner and rookie Jihan Chuatico energized the Blue and White, combining for 30 points with 17 and 13 markers respectively. Meanwhile, Zey Pacia tallied nine points for the Blue and White in their losing effort.
Early in the opening frame, the Blue Eagles’ defense was immediately bombarded by the Lady Tamaraws’ relentless offense that powered their 5-1 run, with Ateneo falling to an early four-point deficit, 2-6. FEU’s Gerzel Petallo put her foot on the pedal as she piloted another run for her squad with a quick attack and a clean block to deepen Ateneo’s hole to six, 6-12.
However, Miner put the Blue and White on her back as she mounted a 5-1 counter run with four quick points off attacks to bring the Blue Eagles within striking distance, 12-13. Despite the spirited effort, FEU retaliated with a 5-1 run of their own, capitalizing on the error-plagued Ateneo while unleashing the prowess of Faida Bakanke, to extend their lead to five, 17-12.
Through Yvana Sulit’s two aces and attacks from Pacia and Chiatico, the Blue and White were finally able to tie the set at 19-all after orchestrating a 7-2 salvo. Both teams then exchanged blows and errors, but Ateneo permitted FEU to claim the set after a miscue on a first-ball reception, 23-25.
Making up for their missed opportunities, the Blue Eagles upped their play through Pacia’s down-the-line hit at 3-1. With Bakanke threatening Ateneo’s edge, Miner worked towards a 5-3 leverage with an off-the-block attack. Despite a persistent Bakanke, the Katipunan-based squad maintained their hold of the lead due to FEU’s errors , 7-5.
As the Lady Tamaraws struggled to maintain a flawless play, the girls of Loyola Heights stepped up their defensive game. Coming from zero blocks in the opening frame, Pacia became a crucial guard to Ateneo’s net at 11-7 after manning Ateneo’s net. Despite the Blue Eagles’ newfound momentum, De Guzman committed a service error that closed the gap to two, 13-11.
Compensating for her team’s slips, Miner continued to convert to tie the set at 14-all. Chenie Tagaod then returned the advantage to FEU after pulling off consecutive off-the-block kills to take the lead at 16-15. To the Blue and White’s luck, Pacia exemplified her prowess both in offense and defense to snatch FEU’s hold of the driver’s seat, 20-16.
Refusing to end the canto without a fight, Mitzi Panangin’s varied attacks managed to build a 21-all tie. However, Chuatico quickly responded by strengthening Ateneo’s defense with a block, 23-21. Following an FEU error, Miner then sealed the deal with a cross-court attack at 25-22.
Carrying their momentum into the third frame, the Blue and White instantly established an early 2-o lead following another FEU error and a Taks Fujimoto ace. However, Ateneo was forced to call an early timeout after the Lady Tamaraws arranged a block-party that anchored their 6-0 salvo courtesy of Clarisse Loresco’s three blocks to give the Lady Tamaraws a 6-2 advantage.
The Katipunan-based squad brought the set to a deadlock at 9-9 as they centered their offensive attacks on the Miner-Pacia duo, who fueled Ateneo’s 7-3 run via attacks on FEU’s campfire. The set then saw another back-and-forth affair as Miner and Bakanke showcased their deep offensive bags, forcing the third set to meet its 9th deadlock at 17-17.
Despite FEU’s attempt to conclude the set with Tagaod’s attacks that powered their 4-1 run, 21-18, Team Captain Lyann De Guzman displayed grit as she forced a tie at 21-21 with two vicious attacks. In the race-to-four scenario, the Morayta-based squad caught fire with a 4-1 blitz by forcing the Blue Eagles to commit two unforced errors while feeding the hot-handed Bakanke at the net, 25-21.
With the set turnout in their favor, FEU pulled all the stops at the fourth set. Tagaod manned the Morayta offense for a quick 3-1 lead. Capitalizing on Miner’s consecutive errors, the 23-year-old outside hitter strengthened the Lady Tamaraws’ dominance with an off-the-block hit, 6-2, while Karyll Miranda pitched in consecutive conversions to widen the gap at 10-3.
Eager to stop the bleeding, De Guzman launched a clever drop ball while Chuatico aided the skipper with an off-the-block kill, 6-12.
After an intense rally, Miner hustled to cut the deficit to four, 8-14. Despite Ateneo’s efforts, Loresco contributed last minute heroics to increase the disparity at 16-9. With their Final Four hopes on the line, Sulit persevered with a down-the-line hit, 11-20. However, the Blue Eagles eventually fell victim to their own errors, as the Green and Gold snapped Ateneo’s postseason chances, 11-25.
Hungry for their third second-round win, the Blue Eagles will face defending champions National University Lady Bulldogs on Sunday, April 13, at 1:00 PM at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
Box scores:
Ateneo (1): Miner – 17, Chuatico – 13, Pacia – 9, De Guzman – 7, Sulit – 7, Fujimoto – 2
FEU (3): Bakanke – 19, Petallo – 13, Tagaod – 12, Lorresco – 7, Panangin – 6, Miranda – 5, Ellarrina – 2, Ubaldo – 2, Asis – 1, Lopez – 1
Set scores:
Ateneo-FEU: 23-25, 25-22, 23-25, 13-25
Current Standings (W-L):
- NU Lady Bulldogs (10-2)
- DLSU Lady Spikers (8-3)
- FEU Lady Tamaraws (8-4)
- UST Golden Tigresses (7-4)
- UP Fighting Maroons (5-6)
- AdU Lady Falcons (4-7)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (4-8)
- UE Lady Red Warriors (0-12)
