THE ATENEO Women’s Volleyball Team (AWVT) concluded their Visayas stint with a straight-set defeat against the Adamson University (AdU) Lady Falcons, 15-25, 24-26, 14-25. The Blue Eagles’ final match in the 2025 Shakey’s Super League National Invitationals Cebu Leg took place earlier today, August 24, at the Mandaue City Sports Complex, Cebu.
With this loss, Ateneo finished the Mandaue City leg in third place with a win-loss record of 1-2.
Snatching control after a 0-2 start, Ateneo pushed for a close battle as Yssa Nisperos made up for miscommunications on the court, delivering an off-the-block kill to tie the set, 3-all. Despite their efforts, the Blue and White fell victim to AdU Team Captain Shaina Nitura and Frances Mordi, suffering from consecutive offensive conversions, 6-7.
Sensing urgency, Zey Pacia stepped up with a cross-court attack to cut the lead by two, 8-10. Regardless, the Blue Eagles were still brought down by their errors, 11-13. To regain ground, Grydelle Matibag converted a cross-court kill of her own, 12-16.
Towards the end of the opening frame, the Katipunan-based squad lost its way, exhibiting faulty play. Using Ateneo’s slips to their advantage, Abegail Segui extended Adamson’s leg with consecutive attacks, cementing the set with a double-digit lead, 25-15.
The second set saw improved offense from the Sergio Veloso-coached unit as Pacia commenced the frame with a cross-court spike, 1-0. Ateneo then capitalized on Adamson’s early mishaps to build a 6-2 cushion. However, a flurry of errors by the Blue Eagles forced them to relinquish momentum behind a 6-1 Lady Falcons run, 7-8.
Coming off the first technical timeout, Nisperos and Matibag responded with a through-the-block spike and block-point to regain the lead, 9-8. While Nisperos and Pacia’s attacks allowed Ateneo to be competitive, Mordi’s offensive prowess remained superior amidst the back-and-forth affair, keeping them at a deficit, 15-16.
In the backend of the set, the San Marcelino-based squad relied on Nitura’s pipe attacks to maintain the upperhand, 23-20. Dona De Leon and Pacia then countered by leading Ateneo on a 3-0 stretch, 23-all. Just as the Blue Eagles were on the verge of a comeback, their floor defense once again collapsed against a pipe attack from Nitura, 23-24.
Despite Pacia’s down-the-line kill to force an extended set, the opposite hitter’s service error followed by a service ace from Adamson’s Lhouriz Tuddao placed Ateneo at a 0-2 set disadvantage, 24-26.
Fighting for survival, the Blue Eagles struggled to contain Nitura’s offensive and defensive mastery at the start of the third canto, 2-3. With Nisperos putting up a one-woman show, the injury deepened as Ateneo failed to counter Mordi’s down-the-line kill, enduring an early three-point margin, 3-6.
Refusing to back down, Pacia aided Nisperos by contributing an off-the-block hit to lighten the damage at 5-8. Ateneo’s opposite hitter remained motivated, dropping successive attacks to catch up, 8-11. Despite clinging on to life, the Loyola Heights-based squad still fell back to their unstable ways with continuous errors.
In an attempt to bridge the deficit, Rob Silla activated a down-the-line kill, 9-17. Countering the Blue Eagles, Nitura manned the frontline and backline, advancing her squad’s position with a nine-point edge, 21-12. With Ateneo prolonging an unreliable display, AdU’s opposite hitter decided the Blue and White’s fate, closing with a 14-25 final-set turnout.
The AWVT will continue their preseason campaign in the 2025 V-League Collegiate Challenge on Saturday, August 30, 12:00 PM, against the Mapua Lady Cardinals at the Paco Arena, Manila.
Set scores:
Ateneo (0) – AdU (3): 15-25, 24-26, 14-25
