THE ATENEO Lady Eagles were defeated in two sets by the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Golden Tigresses, 21-13, 21-11, but followed the loss with a victory against the University of the East (UE) Lady Warriors, 23-21, 21-11, in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 82 Beach Volleyball Tournament on Wednesday, September 25, at the Sands at SM by the Bay in Pasay City. 

Today’s match results gave Team Captain Ponggay Gaston and rookie partner Roma Mae Doromal a 1-2 record in the standings

Doromal began Ateneo’s offense with a drop ball that UST’s Baby Love Barbon and Genesa Eslapor had trouble reading, 3-1. After the technical timeout (TTO), UST attacked with loop shots and knuckle shots as they pulled away from the Lady Eagles with a 6-0 run. Lack of reception became the story for the Lady Eagles after Barbon ended the set with a service line point.

In the second set, Gaston scored from a knuckle shot in the middle, ending UST’s 3-0 opening run. Ateneo’s strong defense kept them alive in the match until Eslapor exploded with power spikes down the line for three consecutive points. The Lady Eagles never recovered from UST’s 6-0 run en route to their second straight loss. 

The game against the Lady Warriors started off similarly, with the Lady Eagles down by as much as seven points, 17-10, to begin the first set. After a TTO was called, Gaston sparked a 10-3 run with a powerful spike down the middle, leaving her opponents scrambling for the ball. Gaston’s knuckle shot from the middle tied the game, 21-21, followed by Doromal ending the set with a deuce from back-to-back aces. 

In the final set of the day, Doromal stepped up with a cross-court spike to give Ateneo the first point. The Lady Eagles proceeded to dominate with a 7-3 run despite the efforts of UE’s Julie Catindig, who tried to answer back with a knuckle shot after the TTO, 16-8. But it was too little, too late for the Lady Warriors, as Doromal closed the match with a drop ball to clinch Ateneo’s first win of the season.

After the game, Gaston expressed that she was determined to end the match with a victory. “Our coach said itong set ginising kami (Our coach said this set was a wake up call). During the match we realized that we had to win this or else it will affect us badly,” she said.

Gaston also mentioned that she and Doromal read the offense well in their final match. “We focused on our defense pattern and getting used to the sand,” she explained. 

The Lady Eagles look to bag their second victory in their next game against the winless National University (0-3) on Saturday, September 28, 12:40 PM, at the Sands at SM by the Bay in Pasay City.

Set Scores:

Ateneo-UST: 13-21, 11-21 
Ateneo-UE: 23-21, 21-11