JOHN RIVERA’S double-double of 16 points and 21 excellent receptions helped the Ateneo Blue Eagles secure the third seed at the end of the elimination round of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 81 Men’s Volleyball Tournament. In their last match of the elimination round, Ateneo defeated the Adamson University (AdU) Soaring Falcons, 25-23, 30-28, 25-19, on Sunday, April 28, at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City to set up an exciting semi-final showdown against the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws who will carry a twice-to-beat advantage.

Complementing Rivera’s well-rounded performance was veteran Ron Medalla who put on a scoring clinic with 17 points. Tony Koyfman earned himself 14 points while Manuel Sumanguid finished with 16 excellent digs and 22 excellent receptions.

George Labang Jr. led the AdU scoring chart with 11 points, followed by Paolo Pablico, Leo Alvarez, and Mark Alvarez who all had eight points apiece. Jesus Valdez had 18 excellent digs and 12 excellent receptions to his name.

Coach Timothy Sto. Tomas fielded his starting lineup composed of Koyfman, Medalla, Rivera, Chu Njigha, Gian Glorioso, Egie Magadia, and Sumanguid at libero. Basti Cuerva, Bok Morado, and Kurt Aguilar made appearances as impact substitutes.

The matchup between the two sides was closer than what the straight-set win suggested. The opener promised an intense and tightly-contested game as both teams barely had clear momentum in favor of their side until the set reached a 19-20 scoreline. Koyfman capped of Rivera’s three consecutive points, producing a 4-1 run in favor of the Blue Eagles. Medalla closed it out with a cross court spike to claim a 1-0 set lead, 25-23.

An error-filled start to the second set saw Ateneo down by four at the first technical timeout (TTO), 4-8. Pablico was shown a red card for impeding Sumanguid as he was trying to get back up to his feet and thus, resulting in a free point for the Katipunan-based. Shortly after, the Blue Eagles launched an 8-2 blitz to overtake their opponents, 18-17. Both sides showed their desire to win the second set, keeping their nerve against several set points. Ultimately, it was again Medalla who had the final say as his spike hit the AdU blockers before touching the antenna, 30-28, to end a marathon second set.

Njigha, who was tightly marked by the Soaring Falcons’ blockers, finally had room to operate in the third set, scoring five points from quick attacks. Ateneo and AdU began the set with an exchange of attacks but the Blue Eagles gradually crept ahead with a 16-12 advantage heading into the second TTO. Tony Koyfman added the icing on what was a strong and well-rounded performance from the Loyola side to seal the win, 25-19.

At the end of the elimination round, the Blue Eagles (10-4) sit at third and will have to overcome FEU (11-3) and their twice-to-beat advantage in order to reach the finals. It is set to be a competitive affair as Ateneo fell to FEU in the first round in five sets, 25-20, 22-25, 22-25, 25-20, 14-16, before levelling the season head-to-head with a four-set victory, 31-29, 22-25, 25-23, 26-24, in the second round.

The schedule of the semi-final showdown between the Ateneo Blue Eagles and FEU Tamaraws will be announced shortly.

Box score

Ateneo: Medalla 17, Rivera 16, Koyfman 14, Njigha 9, Glorioso 7, Magadia 1

Adamson: Labang 11, Pablico 8, Miranda 8, Alvarez 8, Alicando 6, Jimenez 3, Valdez 1

Set scores

Ateneo – Adamson: 25-23, 30-28, 25-19