THE ATENEO Women’s Volleyball Team (AWVT) collapsed at the hands of the Adamson University (AdU) Lady Falcons, 17-25, 25-27, 16-25, in their second round encounter. The match was held earlier today, March 25, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
This loss puts the Blue Eagles in seventh place in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88 tournament with a 1-8 record in the elimination round standings.
Despite the loss, veterans Zel Tsunashima and Alex Montoro notched nine points apiece, combining for 16 attacks. Veterans Zey Pacia and Jihan Chuatico also stepped up to the plate, recording eight points each, powered by their 13 tallied attacks.
Ateneo opened the set on the back foot as they struggled to ignite their offense and contain Adamson’s attacks, conceding an early four-point deficit, 2-6. However, the Blue Eagles were able to trim the lead to just one, 8-9, after the Katipunan-based squad orchestrated a 6-3 run spearheaded by Chuatico’s all-around effort.
While the Lady Falcons responded with back-to-back attacks, 8-11, the Blue and White forced the first deadlock of the frame at 11-all, fueled by block breakers from Montoro and Dona De Leon. Just when Ateneo resolved their offensive miscues, the Blue Eagles’ defense at the net was exploited by Adamson’s Frances Mordi and Shaina Nitura, who stretched the Ateneo deficit to four with resounding spikes, 11-15.
Ana Hermosura and Chuatico rallied Ateneo to keep within striking distance with their own version of emphatic attacks, 14-15. The Blue Eagles were kept in the backseat by the Nitura-led Lady Falcons with a momentum-shifting 3-1 run, 15-18. While Hermosura stopped the bleeding with a quick attack, 16-18, Ateneo took another heavy punch as AdU arranged a 5-0 blitz, 16-23.
Unable to keep pace with the aggressive and relentless Adamson offense, Ateneo bowed down to the Lady Falcons in the opening frame, 17-25.
The Blue Eagles capitalized on the Lady Falcons’ errors at the onset of the second set. Moreover, Ateneo remained on the attack with the likes of Pacia and Hermosura engineering the Katipunan-based squad’s offense with off-the-block points, 4-3. Not long after, the Blue and White fell behind the opposition after Eloi Dote’s attacks, 7-11.
Progressing through the second set, Ateneo remained four points behind Adamson as both squads continued to commit crucial faults, 9-13. Before the second technical timeout, the Lady Falcons remained in the driver’s seat following a strong cross-court smash, 12-16. Responding after the huddle, the Blue Eagles embarked on a 3-0 run capped off by a down-the-line kill from Pacia, 15-16. Despite initial pushback from the Lady Falcons, Ateneo ultimately regained control late in the set after a quick hit from Tsunashima, 23-22.
With a set victory on the line, a showdown between Tsunashima and Nitura ensued, resulting in the Blue Eagle extending the set to 24-all. However, Tsunashima’s efforts were short-lived as Nitura laid the set to rest after back-to-back points en route to another set victory for the Lady Falcons, 25-27.
In the opening of the third frame, Ateneo miscues and errors piled up, allowing Adamson to score fast points, which included two service aces. Striking first for the Blue Eagles was De Leon, who sent a quick attack down the line, 1-3.
Struggles persisted as the Blue and White allowed Lady Falcon Nitura to convert on three straight points, further extending the deficit, 2-8. Not willing to relent, Ateneo remained determined to score, with the likes of Tsunashima executing an off-the-block play, 3-9. Additionally, the Blue Eagles cut the deficit with crucial attacks from Pacia and Chuatico, 6-10.
However, the Blue Eagles were immediately silenced with a flurry of attacks from the Lady Falcons. Heading into the second technical timeout, an emphatic kill from Mordi saw Ateneo’s deficit balloon to six, 10-16.
Rounding out the set, the Blue Eagles’ troubles with floor spacing remained evident, allowing the Sampaloc-based squad to pull away. Despite the big advantage, the Blue and White did not give up, evidenced by two quick points from Montoro and Pacia, 12-20. However, the gap proved too much to overcome as the opposition continued to outscore Ateneo, concluding the set with a 16-25 scoreline.
Keen on nabbing their first second-round victory, the AWVT will go head-to-head against the National University Lady Bulldogs this Saturday, March 28, at 5:00 PM in the University of Santo Tomas Quadricentennial Pavilion in the City of Manila.
Box scores:
Ateneo (0): Tsunashima – 9, Montoro – 9, Pacia – 8, Chuatico – 8, Hermosura – 5, De Leon – 3, Fujimoto – 1, Cortez – 1
AdU (3): Nitura – 25, Mordi – 15, Dote – 6, Tuddao – 4, Sagaysay – 4, Segui – 3
Set scores:
Ateneo – AdU: 17-25, 25-27, 16-25
Current Standings (W-L):
- DLSU Lady Spikers (9-0)
- FEU Lady Tamaraws (6-3)
- NU Lady Bulldogs (6-3)
- AdU Lady Falcons (5-4)
- UST Golden Tigresses (5-4)
- UP Fighting Maroons (4-5)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (1-8)
- UE Lady Red Warriors (0-9)
