THE ATENEO Blue Eagles yielded to the three-time defending champions, the National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs in straight sets, 22-25, 17-25, 17-25. The second round matchup in the 2025 Shakey’s Super League (SSL) Unity Cup was held earlier today, October 15, at the San Andres Sports Complex in the City of Manila.
This result drops the Blue Eagles to a 0-2 win-loss record in the Pool E standings, consequently putting the twice-to-beat advantage for the quarterfinals out of reach.
Coming in the first set, Ateneo got off to a sluggish start as their errors led to an early 1-4 deficit. Capitalizing on court momentum, NU’s Celine Marsh then thrived from the left wing, 2-6, but consecutive points from Jihian Chuatico and Ana Hermosura kept Ateneo within striking distance, 4-7.
Following a pile of miscues from both teams, the set went from pillar to post as Zey Pacia and Minerva Maaya traded kills, 8-12. NU’s offense was the first to get going courtesy of Vange Alinsug’s spiking prowess, 9-14. In response, Jihian Chuatico and Donna De Leon spearheaded a 5-0 run with their quick attacks and precise blocking techniques to tie the game at 14-all.
This led NU to call a timeout, which resulted in a quick attack from Alinsug that helped her squad regain the lead, 15-14. However, Hermosura immediately tied the score with a down-the-line attack, 15-all. Ateneo continued to push the defending champions into the deep waters, exchanging points until a 22-all deadlock.
With both teams refusing to give an edge, the Lady Bulldogs’ championship-tested poise took over as Maaya delivered two-block points and a quick attack to put the tightly-contested first set to bed, 25-22 in NU’s favor.
Similar to the opening frame, the Blue Eagles were hampered by attacking errors at the onset of the second set, 0-3. Despite Rob Silla putting Ateneo on the board with a quick attack, 1-3, they failed to close the distance as NU setter Camilla Lamina called the technical timeout with a point off a freeball, 4-8.
Exploiting the Blue and White’s floor defense, Samantha Cantanda hammered down a cross-court kill and running attack to extend the lead, 12-5. NU’s Josline Salazar supplemented the opposite hitter with an off-the-block hit, further putting the Blue Eagles at a deeper hole, 7-15.
Showing resistance, a cross-court kill from Gena Hora marked a 3-0 mini-run for the Katipunan-based unit, 10-15. Unable to salvage momentum, however, the Jhocson-based squad countered with their own 3-0 stretch courtesy of Myrtle Escanlar and Salazar’s attacks, 18-10.
In the backend of the set, Hora and Chuatico remained as bright spots for the Blue Eagles after relentlessly challenging the Lady Bulldogs’ frontline, 14-21. While Ateneo was kept hopeful by NU’s errors alongside a down-the-line kill from Hora, 17-24, Cantanda’s cross-court spike reassured victory for NU, 25-17.
The start of the third set saw another shaky performance from the Blue Eagles due to their miscommunication errors on the receiving end, 0-5. Desperately searching for a response, Silla creatively utilized a drop-ball to find a gap against NU’s formidable defense, 1-5. However, the Veloso-coached unit then conceded another 1-5 run to the Marsh and Alinsug-led offense, 2-10.
The Ateneo spikers also endured difficulty in penetrating against the Maaya-led frontline as the Lady Bulldog provided a steady presence at the net, including a block on De Leon to widen the gap to double-digits, 6-16. Middleblockers Chuatico and De Leon attempted to replicate the same impact, 13-19, but it was to no avail as the Gold and Blue manufactured another 4-0 run, 13-23.
Chuatico, together with Faye Nisperos, continued to chip away at their deficit, 15-23, but the Lady Bulldogs’ offensive firepower proved to be overwhelming. Frustrated by their defensive lapses, a misreceived ball from Hermosura eventually handed the straight-set win to NU, 17-25.
Looking to end the second round on a high note, Ateneo will face the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons on Friday, October 17, at 12:00 PM in the same venue.
Set scores:
Ateneo (0) – NU (3): 22-25, 17-25, 17-25
Pool E Standings (W-L):
- NU Lady Bulldogs (3-0)
- AdU Lady Falcons (2-1)
- UP Fighting Maroons (0-2)
- Ateneo Blue Eagles (0-2)
