THE ATENEO Blue Eagles ended at fourth place in the 2025 V-League Collegiate Challenge following a straight set loss to the University of Santo Tomas Golden Spikers, 21-25, 19-25, 17-25. The battle for bronze took place earlier today, October 6, at the Playtime Filoil Centre in the City of San Juan.  

With this loss, the Katipunan-based squad finished their campaign with a 5-6 win-loss record overall. 

At the start of the match, the Blue Eagles capitalized on early errors from the Golden Spikers to tie the match at 2-2. With both teams battling for momentum, Team Captain Jian Salarzon soared above the block to earn the first attacking point for Ateneo, 4-4. However, the Blue and White were unable to sustain their decent start, as UST’s Al-Bukhari Sali delivered back-to-back points, 5-8.  

Looking to provide a spark for the Blue Eagles, the attacking duo of Miguel Yu and Amil Pacinio quickly made their mark, cutting the deficit to two, 8-10. Yet, the Ateneo struggled to contain the fiery UST offensive attack, falling into a four-point hole after a Salarzon error, 12-16. 

Still battling in the first frame, the team continued to turn to red-hot Salarzon, as the Bacolod City native scored with a powerful hammer, 17-20. Unwavering in their efforts, strong play from the service line by setter Enzo Gutierrez caused disarray in UST’s passing, forcing another error to decrease the margin to two, 21-23. However, despite their best efforts, the team from Katipunan’s rally fell short, falling in the first set after Pacinio’s attacking error, 21-25. 

The onset of the second set saw an improved start for the Blue Eagles as they took an early lead after Yu’s strategic drop-shot, 2-1. Newly fielded into the match, middle blocker Karl Corrigedor delivered with a monster one-on-one block and a well-placed quick attack to increase the Blue Eagle lead, 5-2. Unfortunately, the Loyola-Heights-based squad fell victim to a o-4 run, finding themselves suddenly trailing in the second set, 6-7. 

As the teams exchanged errors midway through the frame, a thunderous spike from opposite hitter Karl Reyes kept the teams level, 11-all. Continuing his brilliance in the match, consecutive cross-court hits from Salarzont put Ateneo back in front, 13-12. However, the team once again fell victim to a quick 4-0 rally from the España-based unit, falling behind 13-16 after a service ace from Sali. 

Reeling from the dynamic UST offense coupled with their strong floor defense, the Blue Eagles found themselves down four points, 15-19. Despite Yu’s impressive solo block to cut the deficit, 17-19, UST star Josh Ybañez took the reins for his team, keeping the Blue Eagles at bay, 18-23. The final blow of the set was delivered as Salarzon’s attack went straight into the net, 19-25. 

Entering the third set with hopes to extend the match, Yu’s powerful attack penetrated the UST block, 1-1. However, Ateneo’s error-laden play swiftly dissipated their momentum, 3-6. As UST middle blocker John Catinsag fortified the Golden Spiker net defense with three straight points, Ateneo’s hopes slowly slipped away, 5-11. 

Despite Roj Alejos’s quick attack breaking the drought, 6-12, Ybañez proved to be unstoppable with multiple cross-court finishes, 10-16. Ever-relentless in their efforts, a 3-1 spurt on the back of Corrigedor’s play from the service line gave hope to the Blue and White, 13-17. 

Yet, Ybañez continued to find holes in the porous Blue Eagle defense, as the match slowly slipped away, 15-22. In the closing moments of the battle for bronze, the Blue Eagles were ultimately unable to stop outside hitter Kris Hernandez’s match point, conceding the third and final set, 17-25. 

As their preseason campaign comes to an end, the Ateneo Blue Eagles aim to continue growth as they prepare for the upcoming season. With three straight 5th place finishes in the UAAP, the team looks to build upon their decent offseason showing. 

Quarter/Set scores: Ateneo-UST: 21-25, 19-25, 17-25