THE ATENEO Men’s Volleyball Team (AMVT)’s bid for postseason contention waned further following a sweep by the National University (NU) Bulldogs, 28-30, 23-25, 16-25. The University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 87 match occurred earlier today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
The loss stretches the Blue Eagles’ odds for a Final Four spot thinner, as they maintain their fifth-place standing with a 6-7 win-loss record in the eliminations.
Most Valuable Player candidate Kennedy Batas spearheaded the Blue and White’s offense with 12 points off 11 kills and one ace. Wing spikers Amil Pacinio and Jian Salarzon also rallied alongside their ace spiker with 11 and 10 markers, respectively. On the side of the Jhocson-based team, opposite hitter Jan Abanilla received Player of the Game honors after garnering 10 points all from attacks.
Both squads opened the match showcasing their offensive firepower, as they exchanged aggressive blows off attacks, 2-all. Ateneo then began to seize control of the tempo following quick hits from Brian Castro and Jett Gopio, 5-3. In response, the Blue and Gold mustered a 4-1 turnaround thanks to Michaelo Buddin’s consecutive kills, 7-6.
Undeterred by the lead change, the Blue and White clawed through NU’s net defense with Salarzon and Pacinio scoring off the Bulldogs’ blockers, 12-9. Maintaining the upper edge midway through the set, Ateneo orchestrated a 5-0 run courtesy of Batas’ conversions and their opponents’ errors, 19-16.
The AMVT held a four-point advantage down the stretch of the set with diagonals Salarzon and Batas at the onslaught, 22-18. However, in what has become the story for the Blue Eagles in the clutch this season, the Bulldogs earned five-straight markers all from Ateneo’s errors, 23-22, and eventually reached set point first. Extending the set, a series of deadlocks ensued between both squads, but NU’s Choi Diao denied Salarzon entry to clinch the frame in favor of the Bulldogs, 30-28.
Eager to equalize the set, Ateneo drew first blood in the second frame, as Castro converted swiftly with a hit down the middle, 1-0. The Loyola Heights-based team sustained a slim one-point lead throughout the set with their determined play, highlighted by Pacinio’s down-the-line hit, 10-9. Despite the Bulldogs’ attempts to take over, the Batas-Pacinio-Salarzon triumvirate imposed Ateneo’s dominance with their tactical offense, 16-15.
Exploiting the Blue and White’s frantic defense, however, NU plotted a 3-0 run that stunned the Blue Eagles, 18-16. In spite of matching the Blue and Gold’s intensity for a 21-all deadlock, Ateneo left Leo Aringo’s attacks unguarded to hand NU another set point, 24-22. Although Castro delivered an attack down the middle coming from a timeout, Aringo put the final nail in the coffin off an aggressive kill, 25-23.
The third frame unfolded with an erroneous start from both sides, as Ateneo fell behind by a two-point deficit, 6-8, with seven of NU’s points coming from Ateneo’s errors. Even with Salarzon’s best efforts to catch up, Ateneo remained plagued by miscues, as a Batas attack error prompted Head Coach Vince Mangulabnan to call for time, 10-16.
Heeding Mangulabnan’s timeout, middle blocker Jeric Sendon converted a quick attack to stop the bleeding, 11-16. Undeterred by the Blue Eagles’ hustle, the Jhocson-based unit continued to capitalize on Ateneo’s floor defense and miscommunication, 21-15. While Sendon notched a point in hopes of going to a fourth set, the Buddin-Abanilla tandem mustered a 4-0 run to close the match with a sweep over Ateneo, 25-16.
Despite their postseason hopes no longer being up to their sole control, the Blue Eagles still carry the hope of breaking their fifth-place curse. The Blue and White will aim to silence the University of the East Red Warriors in their final elimination round game on Saturday, April 26, at 9:00 AM in the same venue.
Box scores:
Ateneo (0): Batas – 12, Pacinio – 11, Salarzon – 10, Castro – 7, Gopio – 3, Sendon – 2, Gutierrez – 1
NU (3): Buddin – 14, Aringo – 12, Abanilla – 10, Diao – 5, Mukaba – 5, Ancheta – 1
Set scores:
Ateneo-NU: 28-30, 23-25, 16-25
Current Standings (W-L)
- FEU Tamaraws (12-1)*
- NU Bulldogs (11-2)*
- UST Golden Spikers (8-4)*
- DLSU Green Spikers (7-4)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (6-7)
- UP Fighting Maroons (3-8)**
- AdU Soaring Falcons (2-10)**
- UE Red Warriors (0-13)**
(*) – Final Four
(**) – Eliminated
Editor’s Note: Following the publication of the article, the Ateneo Blue Eagles have officially been eliminated from postseason contention after De La Salle University’s victory against the University of the Philippines.
