THE ATENEO Blue Eagles continued their winning ways with a four-set victory, 25-18, 25-23, 26-28, 25-21, against the National University (NU) Bulldogs in the 2025 V-League Collegiate Challenge Men’s Volleyball Tournament. The match was held earlier today, August 16, at Paco Arena, Manila.
For the second-straight game, Player of the Game Amil Pacino starred with 20 points from 16 attacks, three blocks, and one service ace.
The opening set saw Ateneo benefit from NU’s violations, as Eijra Taluban followed up two overhits from the Bulldogs with a service ace, 3-0. Fueled by their early momentum, the Vince Mangulabnan-coached squad orchestrated well-executed plays for Karl Corrigedor and Amil Pacinio to thrive against the defense, 6-3.
Mac Bandola then attempted to shake off NU’s shaky start with two down-the-line kills, giving the Johcson-based squad their first points off attack, 5-7. Miguel Yu and Jian Salarzon responded with a combination of service aces and back-row attacks to keep Ateneo in front, 14-9.
Despite Bandola’s continuing surge throughout the set, the Blue Eagles’ defense prevented the Bulldogs from finding points elsewhere. Corrigedor manned the frontline for the Blue and White, delivering blocks and quick attacks to widen the gap, 22-15. Capitalizing on their opponents’ 10 errors, Salarzon capped off a dominant opening for Ateneo with a cross-court kill, 25-18.
Early in the second set, the Blue Eagles continued their dominant form as setter Lorenzo Gutierrez continued feeding Yu, 3-2. Unable to extend their advantage, the Blue and White were in a back-and-forth affair with the Bulldogs as both teams struggled with reception and errors, 6-6.
With both teams in pursuit, the Blue Eagles did not shake off their adversaries, as they were unable to receive their opponent’s serves, 14-13. Ateneo’s one-point lead then quickly vanished, as the Bulldogs upped their attacking rhythm, 15-16.
Down by one, Head Coach Vince Mangulabnan gathered his troops to change strategies and make quick adjustments. Coming out of the huddle, the Blue Eagles rose from the ashes as Yu and Pacinio revitalized the squad with kills from the center and wing, 22-20. With victory in sight, Rodge Alejos and Karl Reyes provided crucial rejections to bring them within one point from glory, 24-22. The Bulldogs saved one set-point, but Salarzon swiftly provided the winning kill, giving the Blue and White the second set, 25-23.
In another competitive exchange, Bandola and Yu traded kills to open the third set, 1-1. Jan Abanilla and Obed Mukaba started to provide offensive support for NU, but their struggles from the service line allowed Ateneo to keep things even, 6-6. Banking on Corregidor and Pacinio’s scoring prowess, the Blue and White unleashed a 5-1 run, 11-7.
Following a flurry of errors from both teams, Ateneo held a slim 15-13 advantage midway through the set. Yu then hammered a down-the-line kill to send Ateneo ahead into the second technical timeout, 16-13. The momentum-shifting play propelled the Blue Eagles even further, as they got the best out of back-and-forth rallies to build a four-point cushion, 21-17.
While NU’s Migs Egger and Yuan Mendoza’s spikes closed the gap, 20-22, Karl Reyes’ down-the-line spike and Alejos’ free-ball point placed the Loyola Heights-based squad at match-point, 24-20. Just when Ateneo looked comfortable, NU showed their poise as they saved four-straight match-points to force an extended set, 24-24.
In the extended period, service errors continued to become a challenge for both teams as they exchanged infractions until a 26-all deadlock. Jeff Gallego then broke the Bulldogs out of their struggles with a service ace, 27-26. With momentum on NU’s side, Joelbert Doromal completed the comeback with a point off-the-block hit, 28-26.
After a nail-biting third set, the Blue Eagles’ service line was plagued with errors as they entered an early deficit, 4-5. Alongside their service woes, the Blue and White deployed a three-man block, which the Bulldogs’ spikers exploited using drop balls targeted behind the wall, 9-11.
The Blue Eagles found it difficult to establish their footing as multiple service errors and a net touch by Alejos hampered their comeback, 14-15. From this point on, Pacinio called his own number, as he locked in four consecutive points to give the Ateneans a comfortable lead, 18-15.
Following Pacinio’s heroics, however, the Blue and White quickly relinquished their advantage from multiple service errors and a NU ace, 18-18. The run prompted Head Coach Mangulabnan to end their opponent’s momentum with a timeout, resulting in an inspired Salarzon.
As the huddle broke, Salarzon became a one-man powerhouse, as he provided four points from the left wing to eventually lead his team to match-point, 24-21. Continuing his stellar performance, Salarzon ended the match with a point from block touch, 25-21.
Following the stunning victory against the mother league juggernauts, the Blue Eagles aim to prolong their winning streak against the Far Eastern University Tamaraws on August 19, Tuesday, at 3:00 PM, in the same venue.
Set scores:
Ateneo (3) – NU (1): 25-18, 25-23, 26-28, 25-21
Current Standings (W/L)
- UST Golden Spikers (2-0)
- DLSU Green Spikers (2-0)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (2-1)
- NU Bulldogs (1-2)
- Arellano Chiefs (0-2)
- CSJL Knights (0-2)
- FEU Tamaraws (0-0)
- CSB Blazers (0-0)
