THE ATENEO Blue Eagles were unable to overcome the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Spikers in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86 Men’s Volleyball Tournament, surrendering in four sets, 21-25, 25-23, 24-26, 19-25, earlier today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
The loss places Ateneo at fifth in the Season 86 standings with a win-loss record of 6-7, eliminating them from the Final Four race.
Ateneo’s top scorer Jian Salarzon pioneered the Blue and White rally with 23 conversions off of 22 attacks. Cyrus De Guzman also contributed double-digits for Ateneo with 14 points. Meanwhile, DLSU’s Vince Maglinao was hailed Player of the Game with 19 conversions in the victory.
Coming into the court with a do-or-die mindset, the Blue Eagles worked up a comfortable lead during the opening frame, 15-14. Jan Mangulabnan made sure to activate his attackers early on, allowing the Blue Eagles to gain control of the game’s tempo. Continuing the fight, the Blue and White put up an intimidating start and took the Green Spikers’ errors to their advantage, 18-17.
With his team down, Nathaniel Del Pilar converted a deadlock point at 18-all with a block, allowing DLSU to gain momentum towards the end of the set. Del Pilar then continued to step up for Taft Avenue as he manned the squad’s front with well-read denials. Despite efforts to keep the ball alive, the Blue Eagles fell victim to their own errors, wrapping up the set at 21-25.
Both teams then stood their defensive ground to keep the start of the second set at multiple standstills, 5-5. Momentum shifted to Katipunan after Salarzon executed a timely cut shot through the block, and veteran blocker Jett Gopio followed up with two straight points to solidify a lead, 14-10. Sensing danger, the Green Spikers responded with off-the-block hits, and a kill block against Amil Pacinio to level the scoreboard again, 15-15.
Midway through the set, Ateneo leaned on James Licauco’s playmaking after Mangulabnan suffered a bad fall and was forced to step off the court. The two squads found themselves at another standstill at 22-all, but a 3-0 run courtesy of Gopio, Pacinio and De Guzman allowed for Licauco to feed Salarzon at the pipe to claim the second set, 25-23.
Sustaining their winning energy, De Guzman became a dominating presence during the third set with consecutive conversions out of varied attacks and one-man blocks, 5-2. The Blue Eagles were at a high with stabilized offensive play as Salarzon remained busy at the attacking department, attaining a 16-15 edge.
After a constant power struggle between both teams, Maglinao stepped up for the Green Spikers and took the upper hand with a cross-court kill, 21-20. Salarzon extended the set with down-the-line hits; however, DLSU responded with denials in their net to claim the set at 26-24.
The fourth canto was welcomed by a flurry of attacks from the two rivals, with Maglinao mercilessly collecting five points early on from the left pin, 8-8. The Taft-based squad then claimed court dominance with a variety of attacks that the Blue Eagles struggled to contain at the net, 11-14. Despite Salarzon’s attempts to regain momentum for his team, DLSU ace Noel Kampton and Maglinao remained unstoppable, creating a solid four-point advantage, 18-23. Soon after, the Blue Eagles committed costly errors, conceding their chances to extend the match, 19-25.
With their Final Four bid coming to an end, the Blue Eagles will seek to wrap up their Season 86 campaign with a win against the Adamson University Soaring Falcons next Wednesday, April 24 at 10:00 AM at the same venue.
Box scores:
Ateneo (1): Salarzon – 23, De Guzman – 14, Batas – 8, Pacinio – 6, Gopio – 5
DLSU (3): Maglinao – 19, Ronquillo – 15, Kampton – 15, Del Pilar -12, Anima – 8
Set scores:
Ateneo (1) – DLSU (3): 21-25, 25-23, 24-26, 19-25
Current Standings
- FEU Tamaraws (12-1)
- DLSU Green Spikers (11-3)
- NU Bulldogs (9-3)
- UST Golden Spikers (8-5)
- Ateneo Blue Eagles (6-7)
- Adamson Soaring Falcons (4-9)
- UP Fighting Maroons (1-12)
- UE Red Warriors (1-12)
