Coming off the week-long break, the Ateneo Men’s Volleyball Team (AMVT) fell short against the top-seeded Far Eastern University Tamaraws, 20-25, 25-20, 25-18, 18-25, 12-15. The contest was held earlier today at the Mall of Asia Arena in The City of Pasay.
The defeat significantly complicates the Blue Eagles’ hopes in the highly-contested race for a Final-Four spot in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86 Men’s Volleyball Tournament.
Demonstrating a spectacular performance even with the loss, Jian Salarzon scored 21 points from 18 kills, two blocks, and one ace. On the other side, Andrei Delicana proved to be a handful for the Blue Eagles, accumulating 19 points during the bout.
Starting the first set of today’s match, Salarzon sent a spike right out of the bolt to the surprise of the Tamaraws to open things up, 1-0. Despite this, FEU controlled the momentum in the early half, silencing Batas and Salarzon’s efforts with attacks from Dryx Saavedra, 5-3. Subsequently, Ateneo broke through, forcing errors from their overwhelming offense to tie the game back up, 9-9.
However, after being plagued by errors, Ateneo would find themselves in a hole midway through, 12-15. With FEU in control, JayJay Javelona and Saavedra extended the FEU lead by seven after identifying the gaps in the defense, 16-23. Even with Gopio and Okeke countering the attacks with their own, the Tamaraws eventually sealed the set, 25-20.
Moving past the loss in the opening set, the Blue Eagles started the second frame with a 3-0 lead off the back of Batas and a couple of errors from FEU. Ateneo carried this momentum throughout the set from wing attacks, which was topped with a service ace by Ryan Daculan, 8-4. Even with FEU players like Saavedra and Delicana overpowering Ateneo’s ground defense, the Blue Eagles raged on with their attacks to hold a stable grasp on their lead, 14-8.
The game continued with Ateneo closing in to set point, 22-18, but FEU closed the gap inch-by-inch due to some late service errors from the Blue and White. Nevertheless, the Blue Eagles stayed firm with their momentum after back-to-back blocks by Amil Pacinio, 24-18. At the cusp of the set point, a crafty drop by Batas was all that was needed to secure victory for the second set.
In the third frame, the Blue Eagles emulated their second set performance by scoring four points out of the gate, 4-0. Ateneo took advantage of FEU’s exceedingly lax defense, forcing them to commit multiple net errors in the set. Additionally, Batas, Gopio, and Pacinio all together extended the lead even more after a combination of kills and blocks, 12-9. Aces from Pacinio and Daculan signified Ateneo’s firm grasp of momentum, 17-11. After a few more scores, they easily seized victory for set number three, 25-18.
Unwilling to suffer a blow in this fashion, the FEU Tamaraws came off stronger in the fourth set. The Tamaraws transformed the set into a draining standstill due to Saavedra, Javelona, and Delicana’s combined forces, 4-4. Once they equalized the game and snatched momentum back in their favor, the Tamaraws began to force errors out of the Blue Eagles, while catching their spike attempts with decisive blocks, 10-6. Ateneo attempted to steal the lead back, but the Tamaraw’s defenses proved to be troublesome, 14-17. FEU’s steady blocks slowly accumulated points, forcing a fifth and final set, 25-18.
The final frame had Salarzon showcasing his late-game theatrics in hopes of stealing a win against the top team in the league. The sophomore phenom struck back against the Tamaraw’s lead, 6-8, with powerful crosses, straights, and blocks that could not be answered. However, the pressure appeared to affect the Blue Eagles with players like Gopio making service errors, 7-10. The Blue Eagles continued to succumb to the Tamaraws relentless offense and defense, losing the final frame with a final spike from Martin Bugaoan, 12-15.
Looking to bounce back after a heartbreaking defeat, the Ateneo Blue Eagles will face the National University Bulldogs on Wednesday, April 10, 12:00 PM, at the same venue.
Box scores:
Ateneo (2): Salarzon – 21, Batas -17, Gopio – 13, Pacinio – 12, Daculan – 11, Okeke – 1, Mangulabnan – 1
FEU (3): Delicana – 19, Saavedra – 16, Javelona – 16, Bugaoan – 13, Mendoza – 9, Talisayan -1
Set scores:
Ateneo (2)-FEU (3): 20-25, 25-20, 25-18, 18-25, 12-15
Current Standings (W-L)
- FEU Tamaraws (8-1)
- NU Bulldogs (8-2)
- DLSU Green Spikers (6-3)
- UST Golden Spikers (6-4)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (5-5)
- AdU Soaring Falcons (4-5)
- UE Red Warriors (1-8)
- UP Fighting Maroons (0-10)
