THE ATENEO Blue Eagles won against the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers with straight sets, 25-23, 25-14, 25-18, on February 4, 2017 at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

The Blue Eagles currently stand at 1-0 in the elimination round standings of the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Volleyball tournament.

The Blue Eagles opened the game with multiple errors and violations, but made a slow and steady comeback to tie the first set (18-all). It was a tight battle until the end of the set with Josh Villanueva scoring an important ace to shift the momentum and give Ateneo the two-point lead. Ultimately, the first set was tied at 23-all in the latter, but super-sub Ron Medalla scored a vital point on his second attempt. Making his debut on the UAAP conference, Koyfman would close out the set at 25-23 in favor of the Blue and White.

The second and third sets were completely different stories as Ateneo Head Coach Oliver Almadro calmed his team down and set the Blue Eagles to the right direction. UST failed to capitalize on multiple chances due to poor setting. Rex Intal highlighted the second set with a a no-look spike that gave Ateneo an 8-point lead that kept growing. Further into the game, Koyfman was quick to apologize after he spiked another ball toward a Growling Tiger, which gave Ateneo at 10-point lead. The second set ended at 25-14, with Ateneo gunning for their last set.

In the third set, Ateneo took the lead early and never gave it back. Errors by UST in service and attacks as well as an impressive performance by Koyfman on offense and defense ensured victory for the Blue Eagles, ending the third set at 25-18.

“In the first set, we were in a hurry,” said  Coach Almadro after the game. He also commented that the team “always starts slow,” which would explain the poor start in the first set. However, the team’s resiliency and composure ensured victory in the first set, according to coach Almadro.

Reigning MVP Marck Espejo finished the game with 11 points, while Koyfman scored six on his UAAP debut. Josh Villanueva came away with four service aces, many of which helped shift the momentum of the game.

The next game for Ateneo will be against the National University Bulldogs on February 8 at the Filoil Flying V Center in San Juan.

Box Scores

Ateneo: Espejo- 13, Villanueva- 8, Koyfman- 8, Intal- 5, Baysa- 5, Polvorosa- 2, Medalla- 2, Glorioso- 1

UST: Medina- 8, Bautista- 7, Carodan- 6, Sumagaysay- 6, Jose- 5, Buro- 1