THE ATENEO Women’s Volleyball Team (AWVT) ended their Shakey’s Super League Preseason Unity Cup campaign with a loss against the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons, 25-23, 16-25, 23-25, 16-25. This rendition of the Battle of Katipunan was held earlier this afternoon, November 8, at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in the City of Manila.

Both squads went blow-for-blow in the early stages of the first set, with UP’s Kianne Olango scoring back-to-back points, 0-2. Setter KC Cortez responded immediately with a quick one-two play, followed by a service ace to place the Blue Eagles in front, 3-2. From there, Ateneo began gradually pulling away, led by veteran spiker Yssa Nisperos, who also capitalized on errors from the opposition, 10-7. 

Even with pushback from UP, Ateneo maintained a hold on the lead due to UP’s unforced errors, coupled with the Blue and White’s strong attack line, 13-11. However, Olango remained relentless, singlehandedly keeping the Fighting Maroons within striking distance as the set neared its climax, 15-13.

Exiting the second technical timeout, rookie sensation Ana Hermosura lit up the floor with an offensive flurry of attacks. Her emphatic spikes tore through UP’s defensive line, allowing Ateneo to build a three-point cushion, 20-17. Although UP managed to score a few points, these were paired with faults from the Fighting Maroons, allowing the Blue and White to maintain a comfortable four-point lead, 23-19. The advantage was big enough that a late comeback effort from UP proved insufficient, as Ateneo ultimately claimed the first set after a long rally, which concluded in a block point from Nisperos, 25-23. 

Beginning the second set, both teams battled for control as Gena Hora led the early offense for Ateneo with an attack down the middle, 4-2. Despite the early advantage, the Blue Eagles’ unforced errors allowed the Fighting Maroons to stay in the game, leading the battle to a 7-all deadlock. In the next possession, Chuchel Njigha skied with quickness to send back the ball, which broke the deadlock, 8-7. 

After gaining another point from an error, the Blue Eagles would find themselves at the end of an 8-0 sprint after continuous lapses on defense opened attacking lanes for UP, 9-15. Hora’s spike that slipped through two blockers ultimately ended the Fighting Maroons’ run, 10-15. Ateneo’s lineup continued to struggle in containing UP’s Jelai Gajero, allowing plenty of opportunities to strike from miscommunications, 13-20.

Despite finding some late-set offense off the Fighting Maroons’ errors, the Blue Eagles conceded the set from the overwhelming offense, 16-25.

Hard times persisted at the onset of the third frame as the Blue Eagles fell to a 0-3 hole which was mitigated by an error from UP’s Olango, 1-3. The Katipunan-based squad continued to search for answers, but the Fighting Maroons extinguished their efforts with relentless attacks, 1-7. Zey Pacia then scored the Blue Eagles’ first clean point with a spike to an unmanned zone, 2-7. 

Point by point, Ateneo began to find its rhythm, going on a 3-0 run capped by a quick block point from Cortez, 6-11. Riding on their newfound momentum, the Blue Eagles trimmed the deficit further as multiple errors from the Fighting Maroons and a barrage of attacks cut the lead to three, 10-13.

Following consecutive miscues from both teams, 11-15, the Blue Eagles surged to a 4-0 run, further trimming the Fighting Maroons’ advantage to just one after Hermosura’s signature spike pierced through two UP defenders, 14-15. Ultimately, Ateneo managed to take the lead after a block point from Rob Silla, 18-17. However, the advantage was short-lived, as Olango’s cross-court spike late in the set quickly swung momentum back to UP, 21-22.

Both teams traded blows in a thrilling exchange, highlighted by two clutch points from Dona De Leon to keep the Blue and White in the fight, 23-24. Despite this, Ateneo was unable to complete the comeback as they fell 23-25, dropping the third set. 

Worn from their battles in previous sets, the Blue Eagles suffered from fatigue at the start of the fourth frame, 0-5. The Blue and White relied on Hermosura, injected Ateneo energy with a down the line kill, 3-6. However, problems on offense surfaced once more, as the likes of Pacia and Cortez wrestled with UP’s towering defense, 8-14. 

Ateneo’s Nisperos trimmed the lead back to three with consecutive attacks from pristine set-ups, allowing the Blue Eagles another chance to bounce back, 11-14. However, the Blue and White had their defense stretched, which coincided with a droughtless offense, 12-21. Even with Ateneo mustering another four points, UP’s defense proved to be too much as Hermosura had her spike blocked at match point, ending the set and game overall, 16-25.

Learning plenty from their battle-weary preseason campaign, the Ateneo Women’s Volleyball Team will look to recalibrate as they make their UAAP Season 88 debut next semester.

Set scores:

Ateneo-UP: 25-23, 16-25, 23-25, 16-25