THE ATENEO Blue Eagles stumbled against the Adamson (AdU) University Lady Falcons in four contested sets, 13-25, 19-25, 25-22, 15-25. The match was held earlier today, October 12, at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in the City of Manila.
This result puts the Ateneo Women’s Volleyball Team (AWVT) at a 0-1 win-loss record in the Pool E standings in the second round of the 2025 Shakey’s Super League Pre-Season Unity Cup.
The Blue Eagles struggled to contain Adamson’s aggression in the opening set, as Lady Falcon Felicity Sagaysay activated Lhouriz Tuddao and Frances Mordi to gain an early six-point lead, 6-0. After Ateneo coach Sergio Veloso called for a timeout, the Blue and White gained their first point off an Abegail Segui service error, 1-6. Atenean playmaker Taks Fujimoto then fed the ball to Jihan Chuatico, driving Ateneo’s offense forward, 3-9.
Despite opening their attacking department, Ateneo succumbed to a nine-marker setback after Sagaysay surprised the Katipunan-based team with a second-ball putaway, 13-4. Eager to revive her squad, Blue Eagle veteran Zey Pacia produced consecutive points to cut the deficit to seven, 7-14, while Yssa Nisperos also followed through with a crosscourt kill from an out-of-system play, 8-16.
Momentum continued to shift between both courts, but an Adamson free ball allowed Fujimoto to feed rookie Dona De Leon a quick attack hit, 11-20. Mirroring the play, Chuatico also produced a point with a tip over the Lady Falcon’s net defenders, 13-22. However, the Adamsonians recalibrated their net defense with back-to-back blocks on Pacia, closing the set in their favor, 25-13.
Ateneo fell into another early 0-3 deficit at the onset of the second set with Zel Tsunashima being denied by the Adamson blockade, followed by two service aces from Maria Sapienza. Rosal Selga attempted to shake off their slow start with a quick attack, 1-3, but the Veloso-coached unit struggled to piece their attacking strategies together. In the process, Adamson’s attacking prowess continued to persist, resulting in an 8-4 advantage.
Following the technical timeout, Michaila Gulapa spearheaded Ateneo’s offense with consecutive points off a block and quick attack, 6-8, while Tsunashima supplemented the rookie from the right wing, 10-12. Despite being within striking distance, the Blue Eagles’ costly errors once again hampered them as the Lady Falcons soared to a 5-0 run, capped off by a down-the-line attack by Kim Rocha, 10-17.
Remaining eager in their pursuit for victory, the Blue Eagle trio of Pacia, De Leon, and Tsunashima executed varied attacks to open the door for a comeback, 17-22. However, AdU’s Red Bascon responded with a through-the-block hit and service ace to put her team at set-point, 17-24. Unable to salvage the set point, Tsunashima committed a service error, leaving the Blue Eagles in jeopardy of absorbing a sweep, 18-25.
With the third set underway, Pacia and Nisperos powered through the Lady Falcon defense to begin Ateneo’s retaliation, 2-3. Blue Eagle playmaker KC Cortez set the ball to De Leon, who proceeded to convert relentless quicks and rattle Adamson’s floor defense, 6-7. As newfound momentum favored the AWVT, Pacia ended a long exchange with a kill and earned an ace to level the score, 9-all.
Midway through the set, Bacolod Tay Tung standout De Leon’s heroics saw the Blue Eagles rallying against the Lady Falcons, highlighted by her block against Lana Barrera, 12-15. A 6-1 run then put Ateneo in the lead for the first time in the match, as Tsunashima’s short pass stunned Adamson’s defense, coupled with their errors, 18-17. The veteran also extended Ateneo’s lead to two after a through-the-block kill, 20-18.
Entering the latter end of the set, erroneous plays on the side of the Lady Falcons provided hope for the Blue Eagles to stretch the match to a fourth set. Deadlocked at 22-22, Tsunashima aimed for a crosscourt kill from the right wing, while Hermosura targeted Adamson’s fragile wall to spring closer to victory, 24-22. Finally, a Barrera attack landed beyond the court, thus handing Ateneo the set win, 25-22.
The fourth set saw a commanding start for the Lady Falcons as the Blue Eagles struggled to contain Mordi’s cross-court attacks, 1-5. Looking to retaliate, Chuatico produced back-to-back down-the-line attacks, 3-5. With both teams exchanging errors early on, Adamson maintained a slim one-point advantage, 9-8. However, Ateneo’s floor defense remained exposed, giving up a 0-5 run, 8-14.
Adding to the Katipunan-based squad’s woes, Selga stepped off the court after suffering a knee injury. Following the long pause, Adamson continued their barrage with a quick attack from Tuddao and a block-point from Mordi, 8-16.
Halting the Lady Falcons’ scoring outburst, Tsunashima then fired up a backrow attack, 9-16. Challenged by their reception struggles, however, the Blue Eagles failed to seize momentum as consecutive kills from Mordi widened the gap to double-digits, 10-20. With no response to Adamson’s balanced scoring distribution, a down-the-line kill from Marie Joy Aseo handed Ateneo their first loss in the second round of the tournament, 15-25.
Set to be tested against another mother-league juggernaut, Ateneo will face the three-time defending champion National University Lady Bulldogs on Wednesday, October 12, at 12:00 PM in the San Andres Arena.
Set scores:
Ateneo (1) – AdU (3): 13-25, 19-25, 25-22, 15-25
Pool E Standings (W-L):
- NU Lady Bulldogs (2-0)
- AdU Lady Falcons (1-1)
- UP Fighting Maroons (0-1)
- Ateneo Blue Eagles (0-1)
