THE ATENEO Blue Eagles fell to the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Golden Tigresses in straight sets, 11-25, 20-25, 17-25, to open up the second round of their preseason stint earlier today at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in the City of Manila.
This loss places the Blue Eagles at fourth in Pool F of the 2024 Shakey’s Super League Pre-Season Championship with an overall win-loss record of 3-2.
Despite the loss, veteran AC Miner led the Blue and White with eight points off five attacks, two blocks, and one ace. On the other hand, Angge Poyos carried the Gold and Black with a game-high 17 markers.
The Golden Tigresses got off to a scorching 8-3 start in the opening set by banking on their excellent net defense and capitalizing on Ateneo’s errors. UST’s onslaught continued after the first technical timeout, with Jonna Perdido and Bianca Plaza converting on blocks and attacks to take a 12-4 lead, forcing Ateneo to call for time.
With little resistance from the Atenean side and with multiple Golden Tigresses chipping in valuable points for UST, the Blue Eagles were dealt a 5-16 disadvantage midway through the first frame.
The España-based squad’s 5-0 run only came to a close when Jihan Chuatico’s back-to-back points for Ateneo finally ended the rampage, 7-19. However, all the Blue Eagles’ efforts to catch up proved too late as Ateneo allowed UST to take the set via a net fault violation, 11-25.
Undeterred by their slow start, the Blue Eagles shifted gears to kick off the second set, matching the Golden Tigresses’ intensity. With a stark improvement on the defensive end, Ateneo jumped to a 5-3 advantage early on with efforts from both Zel Tsunashima and Yvana Sulit.
Although the Blue Eagles managed to maintain their lead in the early stages of the frame, 11-10, UST’s gradual attempts to cut their deficit paid off following the second technical timeout.
With errors continuing to plague the Katipunan-based squad, the Golden Tigresses broke away after calling for time at the 20-20 mark. Allowing five straight points after the break, Ateneo handed another set to UST despite a valiant effort, 20-25.
Motivated to take a set from the top-seeded Tigresses, the Blue Eagles once again took control early on in the third set, producing points off powerful attacks, 3-0. With Miner leading the way, Ateneo safeguarded their three-point advantage, 6-3.
However, in a similar fashion to the previous set, the Golden Tigresses quickly caught fire midway through. In what would be the Blue Eagles’ final lead of the match off an attack point from Team Captain Lyann De Guzman, 10-9, UST immediately retaliated with a 5-0 barrage, 10-14.
Although Sobe Buena attempted to lift the Blue Eagles and cut the deficit to two, 15-17, the Golden Tigresses never looked back from thereon. Closing out the frame with an 8-2 run, UST’s final two points came from Poyos to seal their sweep of Ateneo, 25-17.
The Blue Eagles look to bounce back when they face the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons on Saturday, October 26, at 5:00 PM in the same venue.
Box scores:
Ateneo (0): Miner – 8, Sulit – 6, Buena – 5, De Guzman – 5, Tsunashima – 3, Chuatico – 3, Fujimoto – 2, Delos Santos – 2, Nisperos – 1
UST (3): Poyos – 17, Perdido – 9, Jurado – 8, Altea – 7, Gula – 3, Abbu – 3, Carballo – 3, Cordora – 3, Plaza – 2, Sinson – 2, Coronado – 1, Waje – 1
Set scores:
Ateneo-UST: 11-25, 20-25, 17-25
Pool F Standings (W-L):
- UST Golden Tigresses (5-0)
- FEU Lady Tamaraws (3-0)
- UP Fighting Maroons (2-1)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (3-2)
