THE ATENEO Blue Eagles’ Beach Volleyball Teams both officially exit the University Athletic Association of the Philippines’ (UAAP) Beach Volleyball tournament with their respective losses this morning at the Sands at SM by the Bay in Pasay City.
The Women’s Team kicked off the day with a loss against the Adamson University (AdU) Lady Falcons, 0-2, while the Men’s Team dropped their season finale, 0-2, to the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws.
Women’s match vs. AdU
Experience looked to carry the Blue and White to their third win of the season. The veteran duo of Liz Lomocso and Gena Hora got the Blue Eagles off to a good start after a quick adjustment saw Ateneo turn a 0-2 deficit into a 3-2 lead. Heavy hits from the service line also gave Ateneo the early edge in play, as the Lady Falcons’ reception woes kept Ateneo ahead with a slim 6-5 advantage.
In only her second match of the season, Hora provided an aggressive attacking scheme for the Blue Eagles, constantly attacking Adamson’s backcourt to maintain Ateneo’s margin at two points, 11-9. However, Adamson’s Felicity Sagaysay halted the Blue Eagles in gaining any further momentum, unleashing a down the line attack and a service ace to put the Lady Falcons ahead, 13-12.
Suddenly dealing with their own problems with their second touch, a slew of errors from Ateneo compounded on the unrelenting Adamson offense, placing the Lady Falcons ahead, 16-18. Although a powerful attack from Hora brought the Blue Eagles back to within a point, Adamson’s Shaina Nitura put the first set away with a palm shot, 17-21.
Eager to end their season on a high note, the Katipunan-duo capitalized on their opponent’s early errors at the onset of the second frame, keeping themselves close at 2-3. However, mistakes continued to plague the Blue Eagles, as a quick exchange of wide attacks between both squads placed Ateneo at their largest deficit of the match, 6-11.
Staving off further damage, Ateneo leaned on their hustle and grit, as a diving reception from Lomocso brought the Blue Eagles into touching distance, 9-11. Quick to dispel any hopes for a comeback, however, Nitura came out once again for Adamson, cutting the Ateneo run short after flying high for a roaring spike that extended Adamson’s advantage back to four points, 13-9.
The Blue Eagles continued to persevere, as their strong communication and towering net defense forced the Lady Falcons to commit consecutive errors and bring Ateneo closer, 14-15. Despite their increased effort to defend the sands, the attacking errors from the Blue and White effectively cut any momentum from the duo, as a final Nitura knuckle shot closed Ateneo’s Season 87 campaign, 16-21.
Men’s match vs. FEU
In an all-rookie showcase for their final match of Season 87, the Blue Eagles deployed first year players JM Yu and Karl Corregidor to face FEU’s Reynan Postorioso and Ahmed Bituin. The rookie duo struggled to find their footing in the first frame, falling behind 0-2 to the Tamaraws. Shaking off the nerves, the Atenean tandem made a swift comeback courtesy of errors from the Morayta-based squad, 3-3.
Scoring their first defensive point of the match, a decisive block from Corregidor brought the Blue Eagles closer at 6-7. Despite this, impressive floor defense from the Tamaraws stunted the Ateneo rally, keeping them at a four point advantage, 12-8.
The Blue and White’s issues on reception continued to haunt them, as they were unable to gain an attacking rhythm with FEU widening their margin to six, 12-18. Bituin’s soaring hammer decisively put the Tamaraws ahead, capped off by a final error from the Blue Eagles to end the set, 14-21.
The second frame started with a renewed Blue Eagle energy, as back-to-back attacks from Yu and Corregidor kept Ateneo close, 3-4. An unchallenged four-point run from FEU extended their lead, 3-8, as Bituin remained a shining star for the team. Even with this disadvantage, Corregidor’s placement shot kept the Katipunan-based duo’s hopes for a win alive, but the duo immediately fell to communication errors, going down 8-14.
Tamaraw Posterioso further attacked Ateneo’s backline, pounding the ball into the sand to maintain their advantage, 12-18. Eager to add more points to his rookie season tally, Yu dropped two more points to provide Ateneo with a glimpse of the rookie’s bright future, but FEU’s excellent play-calling brought an end to Ateneo’s season, 14-21.
Set scores:
Women’s Division
Ateneo vs. AdU: 17-21, 16-21
Men’s Division
Ateneo vs. FEU: 14-21, 14-21
Final Standings:
Women’s Division (W-L):
- UST Tiger Sands (7-0)
- NU Lady Bulldogs (6-1)
- AdU Lady Falcons (5-2)
- FEU Lady Tamaraws (4-3)
- UP Fighting Maroons (2-5)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (2-5)
- UE Lady Warriors (1-5)
- DLSU Lady Spikers (0-6)
Men’s Division (W-L):
- UST Tiger Sands (7-0)
- NU Bulldogs (6-1)
- FEU Tamaraws (5-2)
- UP Fighting Maroons (3-3)
- DLSU Green Spikers (2-4)
- AdU Soaring Falcons (2-4)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (1-6)
- UE Red Warriors (0-6)
