THE ATENEO Women’s Volleyball Team bounced back from their losing streak, braving through Arellano University (AU) Lady Chiefs in four sets, 25-13, 9-25, 25-22, 25-20. The match took place earlier today, September 3, at the Paco Arena, Manila.
This win places the Blue Eagles at 1-3 in the elimination round standings of the 2025 V-League Collegiate Challenge.
At the start of the first set, Ateneo secured an early 2-0 advantage due to costly errors from Arellano. Capitalizing on the Lady Chiefs’ lack of communication, the Blue Eagles continued to gain attacking synergy, highlighted by KC Cortez’s kill into an open zone heading into the first technical timeout, 8-5.
Building on their momentum, the Katipunan-based squad kicked its offense into overdrive as the Lady Chiefs faltered on defense. Slotted as an outside hitter, Alexia Montoro spearheaded the charge with decisive kills, stretching the lead to 15-7. With no response from Arellano, Montoro capped her dominant run with a cross-court spike to seal the set at 25-13, gaining a 1-0 set advantage.
Despite the hot start, Ateneo stumbled in the second set as Arellano’s Catherine Domasig fired three straight aces to put the Blue Eagles in a 0-3 hole early on. Liz Lomosco’s efforts briefly trimmed the lead with a strong spike down the line, 2-3, but Ateneo’s defensive lapses continued to snowball. This allowed the Lady Chiefs to build a double-digit lead before the second technical timeout, 4-16. With no late rally in sight, Ateneo conceded the frame at 9-25, making the match even at one set apiece.
The Katipunan-based squad commenced the third set with miscommunications on the floor, as the Blue Eagles struggled to follow through on the second ball, 1-2. After attempts to repair their team synergy, Yssa Nisperos stepped up to dismantle the AU blockade, 2-5. Middle Blocker Jihan Chuatico provided assistance at the net, urging the Lady Chiefs to fortify their floor coverage, 10-12.
After an affair of errors from both squads, Blue Eagle Zey Pacia delivered back-to-back kills from both wings of the court, 13-15. AU Setter Domasig saw Ateneo’s rise in momentum and executed one-two plays to force a deadlock, 17-all. Montoro shocked the blockers of the Sampaloc-based squad with a Chuatico-assisted piston play, 18-19.
Pacia continued to show her spiking prowess through a variety of attacks, executing a down-the-line putaway from the open, 22-20. Quick hitters from the Blue and Red executed drop balls to the open zones of Ateneo’s defense to save a set point, 24-21. Seeing the Lady Chiefs’ mission to turn the tide, Pacia utilized the fingertips of the AU blockers to conclude the third canto, 25-22.
Establishing their system early on the fourth set, Pacia launched off-the-block and down-the line kills, 2-0. After a two-point run from the Blue and White, the Lady Chiefs huddled to point out the gaps in Ateneo’s defense, which boosted their tactics for drop balls and powertips, ending the Blue Eagles’ run, 2-2.
Adjusting their offensive patterns, Chuatico recharged for a strategic placement shot after committing two consecutive errors, 11-9. Witnessing Ateneo’s faulty reception, the Lady Chiefs called their service specialist Mauie Magaling to pressure the Katipunan-based squad’s first ball, 16-13.
An experimental position switch-up from Coach Sergio Veloso situated Montoro back to the outside hitter position. Team Captain Fujimoto also clocked in with a line-clipping service ace, 20-14. With little to no room for error, AU pulled out Middle Blocker Leoranne Santiago for a lethal quick attack, 22-16. The grit of the Blue and White was tested by Mangubat’s blockade, but Pacia successfully closed the fourth set with a cross-court kill, 25-20.
Following their first V-League victory, the Blue Eagles look to snag another win against the Colegio de San Juan de Letran Lady Knights on September 6, at 3:00 PM in the same venue.
Set scores:
Ateneo (3) – AU (1): 25-13, 9-25, 25-22, 25-20
Current Standings (W-L):
- ADU Lady Falcons (5-0)
- FEU Lady Tamaraws (4-1)
- DLS-CSB Lady Blazers (3-2)
- UPHSD Lady Altas (2-3)
- CSJL Lady Knights (2-2)
- MU Lady Cardinals (1-5)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (1-3)
- AU Lady Chiefs (1-3)
