FACED WITH their first defeat in the 2025 Shakey’s Super League National Invitationals, the Ateneo Blue Eagles faltered to the University of San Carlos (USC) Lady Warriors in a reverse sweep, 25-19, 25-23, 21-25, 21-25, 13-15. The match occurred earlier today, August 23, at the Mandaue City Sports Complex, Cebu.
The Blue Eagles opened the first set with an early 4-2 lead, with Zey Pacia delivering Ateneo’s first two points. Jihan Chuatico then widened the gap with a powerful attack followed by a strong block, pushing the score to 8-4. Taking advantage of a flustered USC defense, Pacia, Chuatico, and Rob Silla continued to dominate with their aggressive plays, 13-7.
Despite strong offensive showings from the Blue Eagles, their lapses on the defensive end allowed the Lady Warriors to chip away at their lead, 16-12. Aiming to extend their cushion further, Pacia effortlessly bagged another point, 20-15. As the set winded down, the Blue Eagles continued to maintain control due to several errors from their opponents. These USC mishaps allowed Pacia to take advantage and secure the first set for her squad, 25-19.
Aiming to keep the momentum going in the second set, Yssa Nisperos denied the Lady Warriors a point with her strong block, but finds herself handing a point after landing the ball out of bounds, 1-1. The Blue Eagles found themselves in a close match early on the set after a back-and-forth with the Lady Warriors, 9-9.
KC Cortez then delivered back-to-back service aces, allowing the Blue Eagles to regain control, 11-9. Despite Ateneo’s newly found confidence, the Lady Warriors responded by tying the game at 19-all after multiple strong attacks. In response, Nisperos delivered a strong attack and a service ace, 22-all. The shift in tempo allowed Ana Hermosura to deliver a strong attack, 23-22, with Pacia closing off the set once again, 25-23.
In a sudden contrast to the previous two sets, the Blue Eagles appeared fazed to begin the third set, immediately conceding a 2-8 run to the Lady Warriors. Responding to this outburst, Nisperos and Cortez anchored a 7-5 Ateneo blitz of their own, cutting the USC lead to four, 9-13.
Shining for the Blue Eagles at the midpoint was Gena Hora, who executed a straight-line attack to bring Ateneo to within one, 13-14. Maintaining their upward trajectory, Chuatico regained the lead for her unit with a downward kill, 18-17. However, this would be the last lead for Ateneo in the third, ultimately absorbing an 8-3 burst from USC and losing their first set of the match, 21-25.
Undeterred by the set loss, Ateneo once again turned to Silla and Pacia for consecutive conversions to start the fourth set, 3-1. However, the Blue Eagles continued to be plagued by their errors, subsequently suffering from a 9-4 run by the Lady Warriors, 7-10.
The midpoint of the set painted a similar picture for the Blue and White, with a number of attack outs and service errors maintaining their deficit, 14-18. A combination of Ateneo kills and consecutive USC service errors would then breathe life back into the Blue Eagles, cutting their deficit to two, 20-22. Despite the Katipunan-based squad’s heightened aggressiveness, the Lady Warriors’ Ghanna Suan delivered a statement hit to force a fifth and final set, 21-25.
Both squads came out of the deciding set firing, trading quick hits, and finding themselves in a deadlock, 5-5. Seeking to reestablish her team’s confidence, Chuatico delivered multiple denials to regain the lead for Ateneo, 8-7. Pacia then followed Chuatico’s efforts with crucial attacks of her own to bring her unit’s lead to two, 10-8.
Despite what seemed to be momentum-shifting plays, reception woes and multiple attack misfires spelled disaster for the Blue Eagles. These factors resulted in a 7-3 USC blitz with Ateneo ultimately conceding the final set, 13-15.
Seeking to end their Cebu stint on a high note, the Blue Eagles are set to face off against the Adamson University Lady Falcons tomorrow, August 24, at 6:00 PM in the same venue.
Set scores:
Ateneo-USC: 25-19, 25-23, 21-25, 21-25, 13-15
Current Standings (W-L):
- NU Lady Bulldogs (3-0)
- UP Fighting Maroons (2-1)
- AdU Lady Falcons (2-0)
- USC Lady Warriors (1-1)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (1-1)
- NDDU Lady Kingfishers (1-2)
- USPF Lady Panthers (0-2)
- Davao Selection (0-3)
