STILL IN search of their first win, the Ateneo Blue Eagles conceded to the Volleyball Never Stops (VNS)-Laticrete Griffins in the 2025 National Developmental Sports League (NDSL) Volleyball Series, 18-25, 23-25, 25-22, 21-25. The match took place earlier today at the Met Park Sports Center, Pasay City.

Entering the match-up with equal determination, the two teams maintained a tight game to open the set. Miguel Yu kicked off the bout, making amends for his first hit miss with a cross-court kill, 1-1. Still, the Blue Eagles struggled to take advantage of their collegiate exposure, committing errors on the floor at 2-2.

In an attempt to counter their offensive slips, Rodge Alejos executed a monstrous block, reclaiming the edge at 5-4. Unfazed, VNS’s Roderick Medino countered with a service ace, 11-11. VNS’s Kim Liray then executed a lethal down-line-attack for a 14-12 advantage, favoring the all-highschool lineup.

Despite rising stakes, Jian Salarzon still committed consecutive errors, downing Ateneo by three, 14-17. Leveraging on the Blue Eagles’ errors, Liray maintained a high-powered offense with an off-the-block kill at 16-20. Despite Atenean Opposite Spiker Karl Reyes’ efforts to turn the tide with an off-the-block hit, VNS’s Terrence Marticion claimed the set with a cross-court kill, 25-18.

Early in the second set, Ateneo’s defense continued to falter as VNS fired missiles against the Blue Eagles, courtesy of Marticion’s off-the-block and cross-court kills. Looking to stop the bleeding for the Blue and White, Middle Blocker Karl Corrigedor outplayed the VNS blockers with a quick attack, 2-5.

Undeterred, Marticion continued his spiking frenzy with a down-the-line kill to further destabilize the Blue Eagle floor defense. Ateneo’s Jon Medino then quickly returned the favor with an explosive hit from the pipe, 3-7, while Jian Salarzon took advantage of chance balls granted by the opposing team, 8-12.

Closing all the defensive gaps, Rodge Alejos stepped up to reject VNS’s hard punches with a block and quick hit at 20-22. Although the Blue Eagles motioned to level the board, VNS proceeded to close the set with a block against Tim Batac’s heavy attack, 23-25.

Refusing to go down without a fight, Salarzon set the scene for a heated third frame by firing off a running attack, 1-0. Despite building momentum, Ateneo still fell into their careless ways as Corregidor committed a service error, 5-5.

Remaining high-spirited, Salarzon shone under pressure with successive conversions through a cross-court kill and a service ace at 8-7. Utilizing this renewed spark, the Atenean skipper sustained his hot streak, with a backrow kill to claim a comfortable lead, 14-11.

Ateneo’s late shift in tempo stimulated Medino to pitch in with his own conversions with a down-the-line hit to hold their ground at 17-14.  Sensing the Loyola Heights team’s relentless pursuit, Marticion worked to narrow the deficit by one with a quick attack, 17-18. Nevertheless, Alejos drew up an ace at 21-17 to broaden the divide. Furthering this, the Blue Eagles took the set with a triple block at 25-22.

To begin the fourth set, both squads exchanged kills from all four corners of the court. Salarzon drew first blood by denying VNS’s RK Medino’s monstrous spike with authority, bringing the Katipunan-based squad closer at 5-8. The veteran continued this stellar performance with two consecutive service aces, alongside Alejos’ attack to force a deadlock, 9-9.

Liray challenged the blue blockade from the opposite wing as he looked to refuse the Blue and White’s attempts for an extended fifth canto, 17-22. Corregidor and Medino left nothing in the tank to keep Ateneo’s hopes alive, firing off-the-block and running attacks at 21-24.

With zero room for error, the Blue Eagles targeted campfires in VNS’s defense, shooting drop balls and powertips to put pressure on the Laticrete Griffins’ system, but Liray’s floor defense proved formidable. Kim Liray concluded the match with a wall-breaking kill, 21-25.

The Blue Eagles set their eyes on redemption in their upcoming matchup against the University of Santo Tomas Golden Spikers on Monday, August 11, at 1:00 PM in the same venue.

Set scores: 

Ateneo (1) – VNS (3): 18-25, 23-25, 25-22, 21-25