THE ATENEO Blue Eagles capped off their University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 87 campaign with a thrilling five-set win versus the University of the East (UE) Red Warriors, 18-25, 22-25, 26-24, 25-22, 15-12. The matchup took place earlier today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
The result sees the Blue Eagles end their Season 87 stint at fifth with a 7-7 win-loss record, just outside of a Final Four berth for the third consecutive year.
Leading the way for the Blue Eagles, Amil Pacinio tallied 18 points off 17 attacks and one service ace. Kennedy Batas and Jian Salarzon followed suit with 17 and 16 markers, respectively. For the Red Warriors, Roy Piojo spearheaded their offense, tallying 22 points from 21 attacks.
The Blue Eagles welcomed the match with energy as Salarzon exhibited stellar floor coverage against UE’s attacks, 3-1. However, a series of attacking and service errors halted Ateneo’s growing momentum, allowing UE to catch up, 5-5. Taking advantage of the miscues, the Red Warriors surged to take a three-point lead after a lifting violation from Pacinio, 9-6.
With the Blue Eagles’ crumbling defense, UE further extended their advantage, 14-9. However, Team Captain Lance de Castro reinforced Ateneo’s floor coverage with a crucial save, allowing Pacinio to execute a quick drop and slowly close the gap, 11-14. Both teams then exchanged attacks, with Salarzon challenging the Red Warriors with powerful pipe attacks to minimize the deficit, 14-16.
Unfazed by Ateneo’s efforts, UE continued to bank on their varied attacks and established net defense to remain in the driver’s seat, 21-15. Despite Salarzon’s attempts to salvage the set, the Blue and White remained at the mercy of their own errors, with setter Eijra Taluban unable to connect with Jeric Sendon on the last point, 18-25.
The Blue Eagles’ struggles only continued in the second frame, as the Red Warriors took early control of the set off their stout defense and relentless offense, 7-4. Salarzon held the fort for Ateneo, scoring lethal attacks to keep his team within striking distance, 7-10.
As the match continued, the Blue Eagles persistently looked to build their rhythm, but UE’s vicious attacks silenced each of their attempts. Refusing to waver, however, the Katipunan-based squad capitalized on their strong serves and offense, highlighted by an ace from Pacinio and killer strikes from Salarzon and Batas to tie the game, 15-15.
Both squads exchanged blows toward the end of the set, leading to another deadlock with neither team creating any real separation, 19-19. UE eventually broke the back-and-forth affair, orchestrating a crucial 3-0 run thanks to Roy Piojo’s trifecta of strikes to establish a slim lead, 23-20. With momentum swinging to the side of their opponents, the Blue Eagles were unable to manufacture any tide-changing scoring outbursts of their own, going down two sets to none, 22-25.
The Katipunan-based squad’s woes persisted in their third set as they failed to find their footing, falling to their service errors yet again, 2-3. Meanwhile, UE rode the tide of their commanding two-set advantage as they fortified their net defense to deny Salarzons attempts, 7-5.
With the Blue Eagles’s unstable floor defense, UE’s consistent scoring elevated the Red Warriors to a four-point lead, 13-9. Despite UE’s offensive surge, De Castro provided a crucial save that turned things around for the Blue Eagles, 13-16.
Reinvigorated by their team captain’s heroics, the Blue Eagles started to find their offensive rhythm, with a Salarzon swipe leveling the board, 16-16. Both teams exchanged kills as the set approached its tail end, yet Pacinio claimed the first set point by overpowering the UE wall, 24-23. Although the Red Warriors tied the score for an extension, 24-24, a service error gave set point once again to the Blue Eagles, ultimately allowing the Katipunan-based unit to take the set, 26-24.
Looking to force a fifth set, the Blue Eagles came out of the gates firing, backed by a pair of points from Batas that established an early Ateneo lead in the fourth frame, 7-5. Jett Gopio further built on the advantage, scoring a pair of points off a menacing strike and a service ace, 9-6.
Although the Blue and White was able to establish early control for the first time in the match, a combination of attacks from the Red Warriors erased the margin, 14-14. However, Batas began to take the game into his own hands, relentlessly hammering the Recto-based squad’s defense, 20-18.
Despite conceding a pair of service errors in the set’s final stages, the Blue Eagles triumphantly extended the match into a fifth and deciding set after another Batas strike and a tenacious Gopio block, 25-22.
Determined to close out the season in winning fashion, the Blue and White attacked on all fronts at the start of the deciding set for an early four-point lead, 5-1. Despite securing off-the-block points, the Red Warriors struggled against Ateneo’s speedy transition plays topped by Batas empathic kills, 4-7.
However, the Blue Eagles hit a momentary snag after the court switch, as a series of errors plagued the squad, 9-7. UE remained patient to eventually level the board at 9-9, but Salarzon responded accordingly with convincing well-placed kills, 12-10.
Pacinio and Batas continued to fire up the Blue and White barrel that destabilized the UE floor defense and led Ateneo to reach match point first, 14-10. Despite increased aggression from the Red Warriors in attempts to save the match, the Blue Eagles ultimately claimed their last victory of the season after UE’s attack went wide, 15-12.
After serving as the squad’s primary defensive specialist for three years, graduating captain De Castro expressed his gratitude for the team’s supporters throughout the years.
“[The team is thankful for] each and every one of you guys, especially those who believed in us, and of course those who did not believe in us. […] Maraming maraming salamat kasi (Thank you so much because) it makes our heart flutter talaga, and at the same time, it keeps our hearts grounded,” the skipper shares.
Despite failing to enter the Final Four in yet another year, each Blue Eagle showcased commendable improvement, providing a glimpse of what is yet to come for the next season after a year under new Head Coach Vince Mangulabnan.
With a strong core of Batas, Pacinio, and Salarzon at the helm, the Blue and White look to hopefully navigate a stronger and more experienced team to greatness in Season 88.
Box scores:
Ateneo (3): Pacinio – 18, Batas – 17, Salarzon – 16, Gopio – 11, Castro – 8, Gutierrez – 1, Sendon – 1
UE (2): Piojo – 22, Aceron – 19, Defeo – 12, Camaymayan – 9, Roca – 4
Set scores:
Ateneo-UE: 18-25, 22-25, 26-24, 25-22, 15-12
Current Standings (W-L):
- FEU Tamaraws (12-1)
- NU Bulldogs (11-2)
- UST Golden Spikers (9-4)
- DLSU Green Spikers (9-4)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (7-7)
- UP Fighting Maroons (3-10)
- AdU Soaring Falcons (2-11)
- UE Red Warriors (0-14)
