THE ATENEO Blue Eagles opened their University Athletic Associate of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88 campaign with a straight-set loss to the Adamson University (AdU) Lady Falcons, 19-25, 18-25, 10-25. The match was held earlier today, February 15, at the Mall of Asia Arena in the City of Pasay.
Contributing to the Blue Eagles’ commendable performance was Alexia Montoro, who chipped in five points throughout the match. Closely trailing behind her was the trio of Jihan Chuatico, Ana Hermosura, and Yssa Nisperos, who contributed three points each to the scoreboard.
Ateneo welcomed the match with ecstatic energy from rookie Dona De Leon, who drew first blood for the Blue Eagles with a quick drop, 1-0. In an effort to challenge the Blue Eagles’ strong start, Lady Falcon Shaina Nitura chalked in her first point from a sharp attack in the left wing, 2-1.
The Blue Eagles maintained their composure despite their constant back-and-forth with Nitura’s excellent offensive strategy, 3-4. Solidifying this effort was rookie Hermosura, who powered through the veteran’s momentum to tally her first point in the seniors division from the left wing, 5-4.
The following frames saw Ateneo struggle to regain rhythm after Adamson’s Abegail Segui broke the first long rally with a powerful drop from the middle, 6-7. With consecutive faulty reception, Ateneo yielded their lead to Adamson at 8-10.
Undeterred by the opposition’s aggressive attack front, Blue Eagle Montoro displayed offensive hustle to equalize at 10-10. Yet, Adamson’s Frances Mordi countered with loaded kills to remain at the forefront of the scoreboard, 12-11.
Down the stretch, the Katipunan-based unit fell to their reception errors, 15-18. With the hopes of keeping their momentum alive, Chuatico denied Adamson’s set-point advantage with a quick attack at 19-24. Shortly after, however, Montoro’s block error handed the Lady Falcons their first set advantage of the match, 19-25.
The Blue Eagles kicked off the second frame with renewed vigor, as Montoro’s service ace pushed a once 0-2 deficit into a 3-2 lead. However, back-to-back service aces from Lady Falcon Segui quickly put the Blue Eagles behind once more, 6-8. With her squad now trailing, Montoro maintained her composure, keeping the Blue Eagles close with a well-placed swipe, 10-11. Yet, the Katipunan-based squad struggled to rein in their errors, surrendering to a 7-1 run at the hands of Mordi, 11-18.
Still unable to penetrate the steady Adamson defense, Chuatico’s quick attack was denied to extend the Blue Eagle deficit to 10, 12-22. Despite the large deficit, Chuatico’s impressive defense at the net pulled them closer, denying Adamson star Nitura, 16-23. However, their comeback was short-lived, as Nitura soared in the air to bury Ateneo’s hopes, 18-25.
Reeling from their first and second set losses, the Coach Sergio Veloso-led unit fell into an early 0-8 hole at the onset of the third frame. Finally breaking their silence, the Blue Eagles scored their first point of the set following Nisperos’s out-of-system attack, 1-8.
Nitura and Mordi would continue to haunt the Blue Eagles, pouring in point after point en route to another 0-8 run, 1-16. Hoping to salvage any confidence, a pair of points from Rob Silla’s quick attack and service ace proved to be a silver lining in a tumultuous third set, 5-17. In the waning moments of the set, an offensive showcase from rookie Hermosura finally pushed the Blue Eagles to double digits, 10-24, but a final hammer from Mordi put the match away, 10-25.
Hoping to capture their first win, the Blue Eagles look to challenge the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons next Sunday, February 22, at 1:00 PM in the same venue.
Box scores:
Ateneo (0): Montoro – 5, Chuatico – 3, Hermosura – 3, Nisperos – 3, Pacia – 2, Silla – 3, Cortez – 1, Fujimoto – 1, Delos Santos – 1, Tsunashima – 1, De Leon- 1
AdU (3): Nitura – 16, Mordi – 14, Segui – 8, Dote – 7, Tuddao – 6, Sagaysay – 5, Bascon – 1, Sapienza – 1
Set scores:
Ateneo-AdU: 19-25, 18-25, 10-25
Women’s Volleyball Standings
- De La Salle Lady Spikers (1-0)
- UP Fighting Maroons (1-0)
- Adamson Lady Falcons (1-0)
- UE Lady Red Warriors (0-1)
- FEU Lady Tamaraws (0-1)
- Ateneo Blue Eagles (0-1)
- NU Lady Bulldogs (0-0)
- UST Golden Tigresses (0-0)
