THE ATENEO Blue Eagles opened their 2025 National Developmental Sports League (NDSL) Volleyball Series campaign with a loss against the Alpha Insurance Protectors, tallying 19-25, 23-25, 12-25. The match took place earlier today at the Met Park Sports Center, Pasay City.
The Blue Eagles began the match looking rusty, committing errors on both offense and defense, 1-2. Miguel Yu and Karl Corregidor displayed defensive efforts, but Alpha’s seasoned Billi Anima and Edward Camposano overwhelmed the Ateneo’s young lineup with consecutive kills, 5-3. With both teams committing faults, Ateneo’s middle blocker Kristofer Alejos stepped in with a down-the-line hit at 5-7.
Undeterred by the Blue and White’s increasing momentum, Alpha’s Barbie San Andres ruled over Ateneo’s blockers with a fiery down-the-line attack, 8-6. In return, Jian Salarzon dropped consecutive aces that were then countered by Anima’s back-to-back conversions, 10-9. With Yu’s out-of-bounds attack lengthening the Blue and White’s cold spell, San Andres maintained Alpha’s high with three consecutive aces for a 7-point lead, 17-10.
Eager to regain control of the set, Salarzon chimed in with an off-the-block hit, trimming the deficit by six, 13-19. Tim Batac and Salarzon continued to take advantage of the Alpha’s sluggish play by asserting their defensive prowess and narrowing the gap at 17-21. Outplaying the spirited Blue Eagles, Alpha demonstrated offensive mastery with Vince Himzon’s consecutive quick attacks, claiming the opening frame at 25-19.
Looking to redeem the set loss, the Katipunan-based squad unveiled a dominating presence at the start of the second set, clinching an early 4-1 advantage with the help of rookie spiker Preece Atendido. Despite establishing a good start, Ateneo found themselves at the mercy of their errors once again, 8-8. In retaliation, Karl Reyes made up for the lost points with a down-the-line hit, 12-15.
While the Blue Eagles struggled to find their rhythm, Ranz Cajolo contributed points for Alpha with a cross-court kill at 16-18. Atendido responded accordingly and hustled to level the board, 21-22. However, the opposing veterans prevailed, closing the second canto at 25-23 in favor of Alpha.
Starting the third set in a vulnerable state, Ateneo continued to struggle against Alpha’s star-studded attacking lineup. Jose Javelona took advantage of the error-plagued Blue Eagles at 5-3, while Rommelito Baptista kept driving ahead with a monstrous kill for a five-point lead, 8-3.
Hoping to turn things around, Salarzon executed a down-the-line attack at 5-13. This proved insufficient against Javelona, who contributed with an attack of his own, 23-10, allowing Jefferson Abuniawan to seal the deal with a kill at 25-12.
The Blue Eagles will look to bounce back in their upcoming matchup against the Cignal HD Spikers on Friday, July 11, at 12 PM at the same venue.
Set scores:
Ateneo (0) – Alpha (3): 19-25, 23-25, 12-25
Current Standings
- Alpha Insurance Protectors (1-0)
- Cignal HD Spikers (0-0)
- UST Golden Spikers (0-0)
- VNS-Laticrete (0-0)
- Gamu Fresh Kicks Elite Spikers (0-0)
- SE-UPHSD Kinto Tyres (0-0)
- Ateneo Blue Eagles (0-1)
