ATENEO suffered its third consecutive straight-sets loss in the 2023 Shakey’s Super League Preseason Championship as they succumbed to the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Golden Tigresses, 15-25, 21-25, 18-25. The all-University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) affair was held last Sunday, 5:00 PM, at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in the City of Manila.

With the defeat, the Blue Eagles finish the second round of pool play with a 2-4 win-loss record. The Blue and White’s performance against their Pool E adversaries notched them the group’s last seed in the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, possessing a 5-1 record, UST claimed the second spot in Pool E, only lagging behind National University (NU).

Sophomore Setter Cassie Carballo starred for the Golden Tigresses as she served up 15 excellent sets to activate Opposite Hitters Regina Jurado, Joana Perdido, and rookie Angeline Poyos.

Overall, Ateneo were outclassed on both ends of the court as the España-based team exemplified their strength in depth. Despite the Blue Eagles trading blows with the Golden Tigresses during the onset of the opening set, UST were eventually able to unlock Ateneo’s defense to pull away and draw first blood, 25-15.

In spite of the tournament’s all-to-play rule being enforced, UST’s bench did not miss a beat as they edged out Ateneo in the second canto, 25-21.

With the starters well-rested, Carballo and the rest of the GoldenTigresses continued their mastery of the Blue Eagles as they ended the match in emphatic fashion, 25-18.

Ultimately, the Blue and White were outgunned by UST in most of the statistical categories. Ateneo notched only 27 attack points compared to 34 from the Golden Tigresses, while the Blue Eagles also committed 29 errors compared to the 23 given up by UST.

Defensively, Ateneo garnered two block points while the Golden Tigresses racked up eight.

The Blue Eagles aim to keep their semifinals hopes alive when it comes head-to-head against the Far Eastern University (FEU) Lady Tamaraws on Saturday, 5:00 PM, at the same venue.

However, this winning feat will not come easy for the Sergio Veloso-led squad as the Lady Tamaraws possess a twice-to-beat advantage given that they are Pool F’s first seeded team. These two teams have already faced each other in the tournament, with FEU coming back from two sets down to defeat Ateneo in a five-set thriller. 

Set Scores:  

Ateneo-UST:  15-25, 21-25, 18-25. 

Pool E Standings

National University – 6-0 (18 points)

University of Santo Tomas – 5-1 (15 points)

Arellano University – 3-3 (9 points)

Ateneo de Manila University – 2-4 (8 points)