UNABLE TO ride the momentum from their last game, the Ateneo Blue Eagles were outlasted by the Far Eastern University (FEU) Lady Tamaraws, 2-3, earlier tonight at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

This defeat puts the Blue Eagles at 1-3 in the elimination round standings of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 Women’s Volleyball tournament.

Team Captain Lyann De Guzman led the Blue and White with 21 attack points along with one service ace. Meanwhile, Sobe Buena followed De Guzman’s offensive output with 16 markers.

The Blue Eagles were plagued by errors during the opening sequences of the match. Despite the early struggles, Buena’s left pin actions kept things going for the Katipunan-based squad, 4-4. Supplementing Buena’s early output, rookie Jihan Chuatico and De Guzman remained persistent on the offensive end to fuel the charge for  Ateneo, 9-11.

However, FEU’s Faida Bakanke and Jean Asis would soon heat up, with their running attacks and quick hits off the middle exposing gaps in the Blue and White’s floor defense, 19-14. Unable to withstand the Lady Tamaraws’ surge, the Blue Eagles ultimately surrendered the set after a miscue on the offensive end, 15-25.

Right after the first frame, Ateneo started off slow in the second set, as FEU denied the Blue Eagles with two blocks, 0-2. However, Yvana Sulit pulled through for her squad alongside Buena, towing the sluggish Blue Eagle squad with quick spikes and two service aces, 6-6.

After forcing a deadlock with the Lady Tamaraws, De Guzman started to get her groove going with multiple points off the block. With the skipper and the duo of Buena and Sulit leading the charge, Ateneo claimed a comfortable cushion at 14-10. The Blue Eagles then continued their brilliant play as their spikers managed to convert on their attacks, forcing the Tamaraws to call for time following a Sulit quick, 16-13.

Buena continued her impressive performance with powerful spikes and feints, scoring three out of the next five points, 21-15. Sensing blood in the water, the Blue Eagles maintained their momentum as they won key long rallies to capture the second set, 25-20.

Looking to build on their rekindled confidence, AC Miner paced the Blue and White’s firepower early in the third salvo. The veteran dispatched well-timed attacks to momentarily put the game at a standstill, 3-3. However, FEU immediately retaliated with sublime plays of their own and continually capitalized on the Blue Eagles’ swelling haul of errors, 5-11.

Both teams engaged in a gutsy tussle as the set reached the midway mark of the third. Although Buena and Miner’s variations of kills sought to bring life back to Ateneo, Chen Tagaod’s frontline brilliance disrupted any chance of turning the tide for the Blue and White, 16-19. Leveraging their surging rhythm, FEU sparked a quick 4-0 run, with Tagaod’s towering denial over Miner clinching the frame for the Lady Tamaraws, 17-25.

Looking to make a comeback, the Blue Eagles went back and forth with the Lady Tamaraws as both teams committed multiple errors early on. However, FEU’s Clarrise Loresco’s error allowed the Blue Eagles to quickly claim an 8-7 advantage. With neither team pulling ahead in the tight fourth set, Miner and De Guzman’s strong offense kept the score deadlocked at 19-all.

De Guzman continued supplying points with back-to-back markers off a service ace and a cross-court spike, 21-19. However, the match went to an extension, 24-24, as FEU’s Gerzel Petallo notched crucial points in the clutch, along with multiple errors from the Blue and White.

With their backs against the wall, Sulit provided a much-needed service ace that sent the match to a deciding fifth set, 26-24.

Even with momentum on their side, the Blue Eagles got off to a slow start in the final frame after struggling to stifle FEU’s swift triggers, 3-5. Despite the early struggles,  setter Taks Fujimoto’s distribution gave scoring opportunities for Ateneo’s spikers, allowing the Katipunan-based squad to catch up, 7-7. Miner also delivered crucial kills to keep the Blue and White within striking distance, 10-13.

However, the Blue Eagles quickly found themselves crumbling at the backend of the set as Bankake’s versatile play proved to be the difference maker in the match. Needing one more point to secure the victory, Bakanke dispatched a vicious kill to overpower Ateneo’s backline and hand the Katipunan-based unit their third loss of the season, 11-15.

Notably, today’s result marks the Blue and White’s sixth loss in their last seven five-set matches. Their only win came by way of a reverse-sweep over the University of the Philippines back in Season 86.

Looking to get back on the win column, the Blue Eagles will go against the University of Santo Tomas Golden Tigresses next Sunday, March 9, at 3:00 PM in the same venue. 

Box scores:

Ateneo (2): De Guzman – 21, Buena – 16, Miner – 12, Sulit – 8, Pacia – 2, Chuatico – 2

FEU (3): Petallo – 14, Bakanke – 10, Tagaod – 6, Asis – 6, Panangin – 5, Ubaldo – 4, Loresco – 3, Devosora – 2, Ellarrina – 2

Set scores: Ateneo-FEU: 15-25, 25-20, 17-25, 11-15