THE ATENEO Men’s Volleyball Team emerged victorious in their derby against Katipunan rivals University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons in five sets, 25-23, 22-25, 23-25, 25-18, 15-7. The University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88 clash was held earlier today, April 8, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Following this triumph, the Blue Eagles remain as the fourth seed with a 6-5 win-loss record in the elimination round standings of the tournament.
Coming off the bench, Player of the Game Aimar Okeke led the Blue and White with 16 points from 15 kills and one block. Reigning Best Opposite Spiker Amil Pacinio chipped in 25 markers while Team Captain Jian Salarzon garnered 13 points. On the side of Diliman, Olayemi Raheem produced 28 markers off 27 kills and one deflection.
The Battle of Katipunan commenced with Salarzon going for a tip over the blockers, 1-1. Starting for the Blue and White, sophomore Miguel Yu then converted a kill through the Fighting Maroon net defenders, 3-4. However, UP maintained their advantage, as Angelo Lipata scored on a back court attack to secure a three-point cushion, 8-5.
The Diliman-based team continued to capitalize on the Loyola Heights-based unit’s slow start, mounting a large advantage, 12-7. In response, Yu fired consecutive kills to cut the deficit, followed by offensive conversions from Pacinio and Salarzon, 13-16. Quick to rebuild their lead, however, UP playmaker Louise Aballe fed the ball to Raheem, prompting Ateneo Coach Vince Mangulabnan to call for a time out, 13-18.
Responding accordingly, the Blue and White orchestrated a 10-2 run courtesy of the Atenean wingers, topped off by setter Enzo Gutierrez’s second ball putaway, 23-20. Eager to claim the set, the Blue Eagles relied on their outside hitters, with Yu nabbing a point off a crosscourt attack, 24-22. Although the Fighting Maroons turned to Raheem on the attack, Salarzon ultimately clinched the first set after powering through the UP wall, 25-23.
Resuming their hot streak in the second frame, Salarzon delivered a textbook down-the-line kill, 1-0. The Blue and White also increased their net defense with Pacinio rejecting Tommy Castrodes and Brian Castro denying Milven Francisco, 3-0. Following this surge, Raheem served as the key cog for UP’s offense, firing bullets from the opposite wing to snatch the lead, 6-4. Unfazed by UP’s momentary upturn, standout blocker Rodge Alejos provided a heavy swing for the Ateneo with a running attack, 9-5.
The Blue Eagles then absorbed a 5-0 barrage from their Katipunan neighbors courtesy of UP’s solid ball distribution, 11-12. The Loyola Heights defense continued to be tested following Raheem’s off-the-block kill and a Lipata block, 12-14. Straining to regroup themselves, the Blue Eagles were gifted points due to the Diliman-based squad’s service errors, 15-17.
Despite inching close with the Fighting Maroons, Ateneo struggled on offense due to Eijra Taluban’s shaky sets. Urging to stop UP’s run to 25, Pacinio came clutch with an off-the-block attack and a service ace, 21-22. Despite these efforts, Raheem was unstoppable at the pipe, clinching the second frame at 22-25.
Adamant to avenge the previous set loss, Gutierrez began the third set with a service ace, 1-0. Salarzon and Reigning Most Valuable Player Kennedy Batas then converted points with attacks over the Maroon and Green blockers, 4-2. Swiftly shifting tempo, however, the Fighting Maroons produced a 6-2 run to dismantle the Ateneo defense, leading to another Mangulabnan-requested time out, 8-6.
The Blue Eagles still struggled to overcome the deficit, allowing the Diliman-based athletes to score off the Blue and White’s unpolished defense, 8-10. Changing pace, Okeke entered the court and delivered a kill through the block to trim UP’s lead, 10-11. Midway through the set, both sides of Katipunan exchanged points from both offense and errors, with Ateneo catching up to the Fighting Maroons, 14-17.
Immediately after, the Blue and White generated a 4-0 run to take the advantage, highlighted by Okeke’s three consecutive points, 18-17. Trading points once again, the AMVT maintained their slim edge after a Salarzon block on Lipata and a Raheem attack error, 23-22. Eager to retaliate, UP fired three consecutive points to close out the set in their favor as Lipata converted a kill off the Atenean block, 25-23.
Charging to extend this match to a decider, Okeke delivered two consecutive off-the-block points to start the crucial fourth set, 2-0. The Blue Eagles sustained the newfound synergy courtesy of an Alejos block against Francisco’s quick hit, 5-1. After fading out in the previous sequences, Castro executed a thunderous kill, 8-5. Salarzon capitalized on this momentum with a backrow attack, 10-5.
Despite the lead, the Blue Eagles were unable to control their offensive tempo, leading to three unforced attack blunders in a row, 10-9. Remaining vigilant, the Blue and White redeemed points by activating Okeke despite being out-of-system, 12-11. Still under shaky defense, Alejos was stunned by Castrodes’ float serve that narrowed the point gap, 15-14.
Silencing the Diliman-based squad’s deadliest weapon, Castro denied Raheem’s attempt to put Ateneo ahead by three, 17-14. The Blue and White leveraged on this tactic, pressuring UP’s Team Captain, 20-16. Carrying the hot hand, Okeke detonated a cross-court bomb 21-17. Alejos followed through with a quick attack and a kill block against Castrodes to secure the fourth canto, 25-18.
With the final set underway, Gutierrez converted a service ace to set Ateneo’s tempo, 1-0. Riding on this momentum, the Blue Eagles stunned the Fighting Maroons upon coordinating a 7-1 barrage off five Pacinio conversions and two Okeke pipe attacks, 8-2. Despite Raheem’s unstoppable offense and Ateneo’s errors, the Blue and White hitters resorted to unpredictable attack variations to overwhelm the opposition, 10-4.
Facing a six-point deficit, the Fighting Maroons retaliated with a 3-1 strike, inciting a Coach Mangulabnan time out at the tailend of the match, 7-11. Responding proactively, Okeke and Pacinio produced consecutive points to arrive at match point for the Blue and White, 14-7. In conclusion, the AMVT clinched victory after Taluban swiped a service ace off UP libero Nino Bersano, 15-7.
In the mission to secure the last Final Four spot, the AMVT must win their upcoming match against the charging De La Salle University Green Spikers on Saturday, April 11, 9:00 AM at the Playtime Filoil Centre in the City of San Juan.
Box scores:
Ateneo (3): Pacinio – 25, Okeke – 16, Salarzon – 13, Alejos – 9, Yu – 8, Castro – 5, Gutierrez – 4, Batas – 2
UP (2): Raheem – 28, Castrodes – 15, Lipata – 9, Francisco – 7, Robles – 5, Pacure – 2, Baylon – 2, Aballe – 1, Santiago – 1
Set scores:
Ateneo-UP: 25-23, 22-25, 23-25, 25-18, 15-7
Current Standings (W-L):
- FEU Tamaraws (9-1)
- NU Bulldogs (9-2)
- UST Golden Spikers (7-4)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (6-5)
- DLSU Green Spikers (5-5)
- UP Fighting Maroons (3-8)
- UE Red Warriors (2-9)
- AdU Soaring Falcons (2-9)
