THE ATENEO Blue Eagles dropped their second match of the 2025 Shakey’s Super League Preseason Unity Cup to the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (CSB) Lady Blazers in four sets, 25-18, 13-25, 23-25, 31-33. The match was held earlier today, October 9, at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in the City of Manila.
With this defeat, the Ateneo Women’s Volleyball Team (AWVT) draws a 1-1 win-loss record to remain second place in the Pool D standings.
The Blue Eagles initially trailed the Lady Blazers during the first set’s early stages as Ateneo’s back row struggled to return Benilde’s emphatic kills. Keeping the Blue and White in the fight were the likes of Rob Silla, courtesy of a quick kill down-the-line, 2-3. By the first technical timeout, the Katipunan-based squad found themselves down by two following a block point from CSB’s Zam Nolasco, 6-8.
Exiting the huddle, Ateneo then began gradually finding their groove as they capitalized on Benilde’s errors. Delivering for the Blue Eagles was Yssa Nisperos, whose strong cross-court spike through two blockers placed the Blue and White in front, 10-9.
Now in the driver’s seat, Ateneo continued to pull away with a flurry of offensive attacks that left Benilde searching for answers. Piling on the points was Zey Pacia, who commanded the court as her efforts allowed the Blue and White to extend their advantage before the second technical timeout, 16-14.
Fazed by the upturn, the Lady Blazers were unable to find an answer as the Blue Eagles continued on their run. With Benilde struggling to organize their offense, this opened the door for Ateneo to find themselves at set point, 24-15.
However, the Benildeans did not go down without a fight, conjuring up a quick 3-0 mini run in the hopes of rallying back, 24-18. Despite this, Ateneo ultimately took the first set courtesy of Pacia’s strong off-the-block point, 25-18.
With the tournament’s all-to-play rule in effect, Blue Eagle veteran Zel Tsunashima converted a through-the-block kill to open the second set, 1-0. Ateneo’s on-court chemistry, however, was challenged by the Lady Blazers’ aggressive offense, resulting in the Green and White’s 4-1 run to gain the upper hand, 5-2. In response, Blue and White right-winger Gena Hora hammered the ball down the line to control the lead, 3-5.
To Ateneo’s disadvantage, the Malate-based team retaliated with instant offense to pile up a five-point cushion, 9-4. AWVT Coach Sergio Veloso eventually called for a timeout after Dona De Leon’s attack error on a quick attack, 6-11. Proving to be effective, Tsunashima banked on back-to-back crosscourt kills, followed by Benilde’s net violation, 9-11.
In spite of this, Lady Blazers Ash and Kai Lleses located lapses in the Ateneo defense, capitalizing on their slow pace that forced Veloso to request another time out, 19-11. Blue Eagles Thea Selga and Hora then heeded the call with attacks off a quick attack and an angled shot, respectively, 13-20. Nonetheless, the Blue Eagles failed to read their opponent’s offense, as a wall over Pacia ended the set in favor of Benilde, 13-25.
Akin to the first frame, both teams were once again neck-and-neck at the onset of the third set. However, the Lady Blazers would later gain an early lead as their offensive barrage pierced the Blue Eagle’s line of defense, 3-5. Coupled with miscues on the return, Ateneo stumbled to a 4-8 hole.
After the first technical timeout, the Loyola Heights-based tandem exited their huddle and returned with newfound resolve. Slowly chipping away at the Lady Blazers’ advantage, the Blue Eagles managed to draw even after a textbook ace from Jihan Chuatico, 9-9. From there, the Blue and White embarked on a quick 4-0 run, courtesy of statement spikes to which the Lady Blazers had no response, 13-10.
The contest then evolved into a showdown between Ana Hermosura and CSB’s Nolasco, with both players launching strong offensive attacks to score for their respective teams. Ateneo remained in front once the dust settled, albeit with a slim advantage, 16-14.
Entering the set’s climax, the Blue and White initially held the lead with a string of off-the-block conversions to remain in front, 19-17. However, Lady Blazer Rhea Densing came alive with key blocks and powerful attacks, propelling her team to regain control and gradually pull away, 20-23. Despite a late push from Hermosura to keep the Blue Eagles in contention, Ateneo eventually dropped the third set following a down-the-line spike from Benildean Ash Lleses, 23-25.
Intent on achieving victory, Ateneo matched Benilde’s intensity to commence the fourth set, building a two-point edge courtesy of Pacia on the frontline, 5-3. Wingers Nisperos and Hermosura followed through with points on the board, topped off by De Leon’s toss towards the Lady Blazers’ blind spot, 10-8. Midway through the set, Pacia targeted the ball through CSB’s net defense, enough to achieve a three-point advantage, 16-13.
Building momentum throughout the play, the Blue Eagles fell to the Lady Blazers’ 3-0 counterrun courtesy of setter Zen Basilio and middle blocker Fionna Inocentes, 16-all. The Katipunan-based team then fought back with aggression, as Hermosura and De Leon pounded the pavement to maintain their lead, 20-18. Trading points until the end of the set, Nolasco attained match point for Benilde on a kill through the block, 24-23.
However, a Kai Lleses attack error elicited a deuce in the set, 24-24. Eager to extend the match to a fifth set, Pacia led the offense from the left wing to level the scoreline, 26-all. Multiple Blue Eagles then gained set point, but lost each chance to force a deciding set, highlighted by Hermosura’s attack through the block, 31-30.
In the end, a miscommunication between the Blue Eagles and back-to-back blocks on Pacia concluded the match, 31-33, leading to Benilde’s sweep of Pool D with a clean 3-0 record.
Following these results, the Blue Eagles will look to wrap up the first round of the tournament with a victory against the San Sebastian College – Recoletos Lady Stags tomorrow, October 10, at 12:00 PM in the same venue.
Set scores:
Ateneo (1) – CSB (3): 25-18, 13-25, 23-25, 31-33
Pool D Standings (W-L):
- CSB Lady Blazers (3-0)
- Ateneo Blue Eagles (1-1)
- UPHSD Lady Altas (1-2)
- SSC-R Lady Stags (0-2)
