THE ATENEO Blue Eagles succumbed to the defending champions, National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs, 18-25, 18-25, 15-25, in their penultimate first elimination round match of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88. The match was held earlier today, March 8, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
This loss puts the Blue Eagles at 0-6 in the elimination round standings of the tournament.
Blue Eagle rookies Ana Hermosura and Dona De Leon spearheaded the young squad with seven points apiece, combining for 12 attack points. Alongside the rookie pairing, veterans JLo Delos Santos and Zey Pacia both recorded five markers across their names, all coming from attacks.
Seeking to gain early momentum, the Blue Eagles established a quick lead through a De Leon service ace and Pacia attack, 5-2. Hermosura added onto the barrage minutes later with a crafty tip shot down the line, which forced a timeout from the Jhocson-based unit, 8-6.
After the timeout, the Blue and White were unable to sustain the advantage after an array of attacks from NU’s Celine Marsh, 10-11. Sensing the changing tides, the Blue Eagles remained determined by capitalizing on errors to keep the game within distance, 15-15.
However, Ateneo began to run out of steam as NU took control through well placed attacks and excellent court defense in a 6-0 blitz, 16-21. Despite a pair of attacks from Delos Santos, the Lady Bulldogs’ momentum proved to be decisive as Marsh sealed the first set with yet another attack, 18-25.
Looking to bounce back in the second frame, the Blue Eagles forced an early back-and-forth affair with the Lady Bulldogs which led to a deadlock at four. Ateneo’s effort to keep pace with NU was soon tested as the Lady Bulldogs unleashed a 6-2 surge behind four kills from Vange Alinsug to establish a 10-6 cushion.
The Katipunan-based spikers responded with four emphatic kills to trim the deficit to one, 11–12, briefly swinging momentum back in Ateneo’s favor as they found success through their offense at the net.
However, the Blue Eagles’ shaky floor defense soon proved costly as the Lady Bulldogs orchestrated a commanding 7–1 blitz that quickly widened the gap and restored control for NU, 12–19.
Amid the pressure, the Blue and White conducted a mini 4–2 rally courtesy of a kill from Pacia and a well-placed drop ball from Stephanie De Chaves to cut the deficit to five, 16–21. Despite their late surge, the Katipunan-based unit was unable to keep the momentum on their side, allowing the Lady Bulldogs to close out the set, 18-25.
To open the third set, the Lady Bulldogs maintained their dominant stride as Ateneo struggled to contain NU’s offense, 0-3. The deficit then grew further after an array of errors and defensive lapses from the Blue Eagles, 4-9.
In an attempt to weather the storm, the Blue Eagles surged to a 4-1 run led by a pair of Zel Tsunashima attacks and an emphatic De Leon tip shot to narrow the lead, 11-13. The Lady Bulldogs quickly fired back, however, hammering the Blue and White’s defense in an 8-2 run that ballooned the gap to 13-21.
As the game slipped away from the Blue Eagles, a commanding point from a Sam Cantada attack sealed the match in a tough sweep, 15–25.
The Blue Eagles will look to recalibrate in preparation for their final match of the first round against the University of the East Lady Warriors at 1:00 PM, Saturday, March 14, at the SM Mall of Asia at the City of Pasay.
Box scores:
Ateneo (0): Hermosura – 7, De Leon – 7, Delos Santos – 5, Pacia – 5, Chuatico – 3, Tsunashima – 2, Cortez – 1, De Chaves – 1
NU (3): Alinsug – 18, Panique – 10, Mata – 8, Maaya – 7, Marsh – 6, Cantada – 6, Pono – 2, Jacob – 1, Bombita – 1
Set scores:
Ateneo-NU: 18-25, 18-25, 15-25
Current Standings (W-L):
- DLSU (5-0)
- NU (5-1)
- FEU (3-2)
- AdU (3-2)
- UP (3-1)
- UST (2-3)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (0-6)
- UE (0-6)
