AVENGING THEIR round one loss, the ATENEO Men’s Volleyball Team (AMVT) prevailed against the Adamson University (AdU) Soaring Falcons in four sets during their second round encounter, 25-19, 25-27, 25-22, 25-20. The match was held earlier today, March 25, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
Extending their winning streak to three, the Blue Eagles keep solo fourth in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88 standings with a 5-4 win-loss record.
Reigning Most Valuable Player Kennedy Batas claimed his second consecutive Player of the Game honors after accumulating 24 points from 21 attacks, one block, and two service aces. On the side of Adamson, opposite hitter Maruel Tan garnered 14 attack points.
To open the match, the Soaring Falcons incurred a net touch violation that resulted in the Blue Eagles’ first point, 1-0. Batas then converted back-to-back kills, followed by an attack error from Adamsonian Richard Besorio, 4-1. Despite a Leo Coguimbal quick attack, the Loyola Heights-based unit mounted a 5-0 run, highlighted by Rodge Alejos’ block on Soaring Falcon Joel Menor, 9-3.
Maintaining their lead, Batas and opposite hitter Amil Pacinio produced points from calculated shots, topped off by a denial on Lance Flestado’s attack, 14-6. In retaliation, the Soaring Falcons exacted a 4-1 strike, forcing Ateneo Coach Vince Mangulabnan to call for a timeout, 10-15. Quick to respond, Batas led a 3-1 counter run to achieve a seven-point advantage in favor of the Blue and White, 18-11.
As the set reached its end, Atenean playmaker Enzo Gutierrez relied on Salarzon to score points from the left pin, 23-15. Although Adamson resorted to a last-minute 3-0 production, Coguimbal garnered a net touch violation to hand Ateneo set point, 24-18. To end the frame, Gutierrez surprised the Adamson defense with a second ball putaway, giving the Blue and White victory, 25-19.
Eager to level the game, Besorio controlled the tempo with his powerful spikes in the beginning of the second set, 5-3. Ateneo’s offense also struggled amid their errors and Adamson’s improved blocking, 5-10. Continuing to be limited by the blockers, Pacinio and Batas were denied on consecutive plays, 9-14.
Following a service error from Adamson, Batas recalibrated his approach by launching a back row attack and service ace, 12-14. Pacinio then seized the lead with three straight points to cap off their 6-0 run, 15-14. Relinquishing momentum, however, Ateneo was hampered by their errors as the set progressed, 16-18.
Pacinio and Miguel Yu persisted in challenging the opposing frontline, 18-21, but Flestado and Tan’s contributions allowed Adamson to maintain the upperhand, 24-20. Despite a Soaring Falcon set victory looking inevitable, the Blue Eagles refused to concede with Batas hammering a down-the-line kill, 21-24.
Enzo Gutierrez then secured an ace, followed by an off-the-block hit from Batas and an error from Adamson, forcing a set extension, 24-24. After an exchange of violations, 25-25, Ateneo’s comeback attempt was shut down by Tan’s off-the-block spike and monstrous block on Batas, 25-27.
Determined to redeem themselves, Salarzon commenced the third set with an off-the-block hit, 1-1. Pacinio then followed suit with a crosscourt kill and a deflection on Soaring Falcon Andrew Tahiluddin’s attack attempt, 3-2. However, the San Marcelo-based team orchestrated a 5-1 strike after predicting Ateneo’s wing-centric offense, 7-4.
Although Adamson had figured out Ateneo’s attack strategy, the AMVT eventually shifted tempo with a late-game introduction of combination plays. Gutierrez conducted a 6-1 point barrage, utilizing Alejos’ quick conversions to expel Adamson’s lead, 8-7. The Blue Eagles then produced another 6-1 strike midway through the set, courtesy of Gutierrez’s denial on Besorio and a service ace to extend Ateneo’s advantage by five, 14-9.
Pacinio and Batas then sustained the Blue and White’s edge with kills from both sides of the court, 18-13. Later on, Aimar Okeke entered the match to provide much-needed offense that the Soaring Falcons failed to contain, 20-17. Towards the end of the frame, both Blue and White teams exchanged points until Okeke clinched the third set with an attack through the Adamsonian defense, 25-22.
Looking to close out the match, Batas and Pacinio set the tone with consecutive kills from the wings to start the fourth set, 2-0. With piling errors on both sides, however, the early exchanges saw a stalemate, 7-all.
Batas and Besorio then traded blows in an effort to grapple for momentum, 10-9. Supplementing the outside hitter, Pacinio delivered a down-the-line spike while Brian Castro collected a block point, 12-10.
As Adamson continued to falter from shaky reception and passing, Okeke and Batas spearheaded Ateneo in establishing a sizable advantage, 19-14. From here, the tide would shift as the Soaring Falcons stormed back on a 5-0 run, mostly due to the Blue Eagles’ attack errors.
Sensing urgency, Pacinio’s down-the-line spike proved to be a crucial stabilizer for the Blue Eagles, 20-19. With Adamson unable to solve their mishaps, Okeke detonated a cross-court kill to cap off a 5-1 stretch and reward Ateneo with their fifth win of the season, 25-20.
The AMVT will look to continue their winning formula against the five-peat defending champions National University Bulldogs on Saturday, March 28, at 3:00 PM in the University of Santo Tomas Quadricentennial Pavilion in the City of Manila.
Box scores:
Ateneo (3): Batas – 24, Pacinio – 18, Salarzon – 11, Castro – 6, Okeke – 6, Alejos – 5, Gutierrez – 4, Yu – 1
AdU (1): Conguimbal – 15, Tan – 14, Besorio – 13, Tahiluddin – 8 , Flestado – 6, Garces – 5, Menor – 2, Domingo – 1, Ducusin – 1
Set scores:
Ateneo-AdU: 25-19, 25-27, 25-22, 25-20
Current Standings (W-L):
- FEU Tamaraws (8-1)
- NU Bulldogs (7-2)
- UST Golden Spikers (6-3)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (5-4)
- DLSU Green Spikers (4-5)
- UP Fighting Maroons (3-6)
- AdU Soaring Falcons (2-7)
- UE Red Warriors (1-8)
