THE ATENEO Blue Eagles failed to keep their winning streak alive after faltering versus the De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Spikers in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87, 21-25, 17-25, 20-25. The match was held earlier today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
This loss puts the Blue Eagles at fifth in the Women’s Volleyball tournament standings with a 4-6 win-loss record.
AC Miner pioneered the Blue and White with 13 markers off 12 attacks and one block. Lyann De Guzman also contributed 10 points for the Blue Eagles. Meanwhile, DLSU’s Mikole Reyes was named Player of the Game after dishing out 19 excellent sets and scoring a point.
Like any other rivalry matchup, the tension was felt on the floor early on in the first set as both teams kept forcing deadlocks. The Lady Spikers drew first blood after Miner’s attack went wide. Luckily, oversights on La Salle’s end gave the Blue Eagles leverage to catch up, 2-3. Capitalizing on the moment, Miner then further amped up Ateneo’s offense with a down-the-line kill, 3-all.
Eager to maintain a strong front, Zey Pacia stepped up for the Blue and White through varied attacks to clinch Ateneo’s first advantage at 5-4. Despite Taft’s efforts to man their court, De Guzman kept the ball rolling with consecutive attacks for an 8-all tie.
Even with their commendable early efforts, the Katipunan-based squad struggled to keep up with DLSU’s pacing, falling victim to Amie Provido’s offensive versatility that established an 11-10 La Salle lead. Regardless of Provido’s outburst, the Blue Eagles were momentarily bailed out by more DLSU errors, 12-all.
However, lapses also started to plague the Katipunan-based team as miscues on the floor became the gateway to the Taft-based team’s growing margin at 17-15. Even with Miner’s efforts to counter DLSU with her varied hits, Shevana Laput unloaded quick hits of her own to double La Salle’s cushion, 22-18.
Sensing Ateneo’s crucial state, Miner carried out back-to-back conversions to cut the DLSU advantage to two, 20-22. However, the Lady Spikers remained undeterred by Miner’s play, ultimately claiming the opening set due to an Ateneo overpass, 25-21.
Determined to bounce back, the Blue Eagles revitalized their attacking unit to match La Salle’s offensive energy in the second frame. Taks Fujimoto turned to skipper De Guzman for an off-the-block kill. The veteran playmaker also activated rookie Rob Silla in the middle to lock in a statement quick attack, 2-2. Despite the Blue Eagle playmakers’ adjustments, the Lady Spikers remained in the driver’s seat by fortifying their blockade even further, 4-2.
Miner and Yvana Sulit urgently hustled from center court to minimize the deficit, 6-7, but Provido efficiently guarded the Lady Spikers’ net to contain the Katipunan-based squad, 9-8. The 5’ 11” Lady Spiker continued her attacking run with speedy kills, further destabilizing Ateneo’s defense, 13-9. Supplementing the blocker from the wings were Laput and Canino, who both unleashed powerful kills from the left pin to reinforce DLSU’s dominance, 16-13.
The Blue and White struggled to find their footing down the stretch of the set as La Salle boasted their attacking variation to take advantage of Ateneo’s glaring defensive holes. While De Guzman attempted to mount a comeback with attack points from the block, the Taft-based squad responded immediately with down-the-line kills and clever 1-2 plays, 19-14.
Ateneo’s floor coverage and composure on the court crumbled soon after, allowing the Lady Spikers to swiftly claim another set following an impressive right-wing kill from Laput, 25-16.
Refusing to leave without a fight, the girls from Loyola Heights shook up the floor with Fujimoto’s offensive prowess to kickstart the third set, 3-1. The rest of Ateneo’s players managed to follow through by feeding off the Lady Spikers’ faulty plays, reaching a 5-2 edge. With momentum on their hands, Miner converted explosive kills that handed the Blue Eagles a five-point lead at 7-2.
Sensing danger on their side, however, Lilay Del Castillo took the reins after converting markers from both ends, 6-7. Miner then responded by unleashing a kill to reclaim the lead at 9-8. After giving away points due to unforced errors, Pacia made up for the Sergio Veloso-coached squad’s drawbacks with an off-the-block hit, making it an 11-all contest.
De Guzman’s mid-air adjustments also became key to keeping Ateneo’s fire alive with a 13-all deadlock. Despite the Blue Eagles’ efforts, DLSU turned more determined to finish with a clean slate as they strengthened their defense to turn the tables at 17-15.
Losing hold of control, the Blue and White once again succumbed to their own errors. Capitalizing on these miscues and imprecise plays of the Katipunan-based squad, Laput and Canino gained the momentum for a 22-18 advantage through diverse attacks. Regardless of Alex Montoro’s attempt to close the gap, Canino found an opening on Ateneo’s side that handed them the last set and a sweep at 25-20.
Eager in restoring their winning ways, the Blue Eagles will go up against the University of Santo Tomas Golden Tigresses on Saturday, April 5, at 1:00 PM in the same venue.
Box scores:
Ateneo (0): Miner – 13, De Guzman – 10, Pacia – 8, Sulit – 4, Montoro – 2, Chuatico – 1, Silla – 1,
DLSU (3): Canino – 16, Laput – 14, Provido – 9, Malaluan – 7, Del Castillo – 8, Reyes – 1
Set scores:
Ateneo-DLSU: 21-25, 17-25, 20-25
Current Standings (W-L):
- NU Lady Bulldogs (9-1)
- DLSU Lady Spikers (7-3)
- FEU Lady Tamaraws (6-4)
- UST Golden Tigresses (5-4)
- UP Fighting Maroons (5-5)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (4-6)
- AdU Lady Falcons (3-6)
- UE Lady Red Warriors (0-10)
