THE ATENEO Blue Eagles had no answers for the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Golden Spikers’ offensive firepower in their tough second round encounter, 24-26, 17-25, 22-25. The matchup took place earlier today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
The results of today’s matchup puts the Blue Eagles at fifth with a 6-5 win-loss record, dropping them from a shared hold of third place with UST and De La Salle University.
Kennedy Batas anchored the Blue and White’s efforts with a team-high 20 points off 19 attacks and one block. Amil Pacinio also chipped in nine markers of his own for the Blue Eagles.
Meanwhile, reigning Most Valuable Player Josh Ybañez put up a massive contribution for UST with 24 points off 20 attacks, three aces, and one block. Paul Colinares bolstered the España-based squad’s efforts with 13 more points.
Both teams set the tone of the match by scrapping in a long rally for the first point. With powerful attacking wings and a formidable blockade, the Golden Spikers mounted a 7-1 run to cement an early 9-3 lead. UST further strengthened their hold with quick and pipe attacks that destabilized the Ateneo floor defense, 12-6.
The Golden Spikers maintained their dominance midway through the set, ensuring that all bases remained covered, 12-9. Staying composed to work around the UST wall, Enzo Gutierrez relied on the Blue Eagle veterans to shift the tides. The playmaker activated blocker Jett Gopio for a running attack, while Batas capitalized on UST’s overpass to go for an emphatic kill, 13-17.
Batas sustained the newfound momentum with kills from the back row, 15-18. The Blue Eagle spikers supplemented the veteran to orchestrate a 4-0 run, with Salarzon leveling the board with a regalo, 19-19.
Unfazed by Ateneo’s upturn, UST’s Josh Ybañez responded with speedy kills from the left wing to keep the Golden Spikers on top, 21-20. Despite Batas scoring off a pipe attack kill to tie the game, the Blue Eagles fell short in containing Ybañez, who powered through the blockade to claim the set, 26-24.
The Golden Spikers opened the second set with early offensive sparks, taking a slim lead before trading errors to lock the score at 4-all. Although UST took advantage of Ateneo’s miscues, Batas fired a hammer down the middle to tie things up once more, 8-8.
With both sides locked in a back-and-forth exchange, Pacinio delivered a clutch line shot to keep the Blue Eagles within striking distance, 11-13. However, UST turned up the heat, unleashing a barrage of kills to extend their lead, 18-13
Batas momentarily halted the Golden Spikers’ momentum with another emphatic hit, only for Ybañez to respond with back-to-back bombs that pushed Ateneo to the edge, 17-24. Despite the Blue Eagles’ efforts to rally at the net, a final UST block point left Ateneo searching for answers against the Golden Spikers’ fiery offense, 17-25.
The third set saw increased aggression from UST, while the Blue Eagles played with offensive urgency. While Ybanez sustained his attacking energy, Ateneo’s blocker Jeric Sendon started the set to turn things around, working with Gutierrez for quick kills, 3-3.
Both teams continued to exchange kills midway through the frame, with Batas and Ybanez at the frontlines leading the clash, 13-13. Batas kept pace with Ybañez with off-the-block points and timely denials at the net, but the UST ace further loaded his attacking firepower at the tailend of the set to pull away with the lead, 18-16.
With the frame entering its crucial stages, the Blue Eagles fell victim to the impenetrable Golden Spiker wall which effectively shut out Pacinio’s attempts to revive his squad, 18-21. Hungry to seal the sweep, Jay Rack De La Noche took advantage of Ateneo’s fractured floor defense, followed by a clean kill from Ybañez to declare victory for UST, 25-22.
The Blue Eagles will look to bounce back as they face the Far Eastern University Tamaraws on Wednesday, April 9, at 11:00 AM at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.
Box scores:
Ateneo (0): Batas – 20, Pacinio – 9, Salarzon – 4, Castro – 3, Yu – 3, Sendon – 2
UST (3): Ybanez – 24, Colinares – 13, De La Noche – 9, Macam – 8, Valera – 6, Yambao – 2, Sali – 1
Set scores:
Ateneo-UST: 24-26, 17-25, 22-25
Current Standings (W-L):
- FEU Tamaraws (9-1)
- NU Bulldogs (8-2)
- UST Golden Spikers (7-4)
- DLSU Green Spikers (6-4)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (6-5)
- UP Fighting Maroons (3-7)
- AdU Soaring Falcons (2-8)
- UE Red Warriors (0-10)
