THE ATENEO Men’s Volleyball Team (AMVT) triumphed over the Arellano University (AU) Chiefs in straight sets, 26-24, 25-18, 25-22. The match was held earlier today, September 7, at the Paco Arena in the City of Manila.
This victory keeps the Blue Eagles in the running for a semifinals spot as they conclude the preliminary round of the 2025 V-League Collegiate Challenge Men’s Volleyball Tournament with a win-loss record of 4-3.
Welcoming the high-stakes contest, Ateneo Team Captain Jian Salarzon set the tone of the match with a cross-court spike, 1-1. Rodge Alejos and Miguel Yu’s offensive contributions supplemented the opposite hitter, but their errors prevented them from pulling away, 6-6. Continuing the exchange, setters Laurence Salvo and Eirah Taluban traded freeballs, 7-7.
Both teams refused to fall behind throughout the set, exchanging attacks until a 13-13 deadlock. Ateneo then surged to a 4-1 run, courtesy of Arellano’s mishaps and a down-the-line spike from Amil Pacinio, 18-14. While the Chiefs’ Daniel Agovida and Wainn Cateria spearheaded their own 4-1 retaliation, 18-19, Karl Reyes and Pacinio’s fiery offense kept the Blue Eagles in front, 22-20.
At the tail end of the set, Ateneo failed to capitalize on their set-point advantage, as they committed a service error and net fault, 24-24. Taking the extension into his own hands, Salarzon followed up Arellano’s service error with a cross-court kill to put the opening set to bed, 26-24.
Looking to level the playing field, Cateria and Agovida exploited the Blue Eagles’ defense with a myriad of attacks to build an early 3-1 lead in the second set. However, Ken Batas announced his entry by powering through the AU block, 2-3. The Blue and White then strengthened their net defense to take an 8-4 advantage off a 7-1 run.
Despite Jiwen Sinuto and Agovida’s efforts to keep the Chiefs within striking distance, Batas’ attacking pursuit allowed the Blue Eagles to maintain a three-point cushion, 15-12. With the Legarda-based squad committing reception errors, Salarzon utilized his services to create a 3-0 stretch for Ateneo, 18-12.
The Loyola Heights-based squad benefited from Alejos’ steady presence at the net, as he delivered multiple blocks and quick attacks, 22-15. Arellano’s Arman Guinto and Cateria attempted to spark a comeback with consecutive kills, but ultimately failed to contain Ateneo’s firepower as Pacinio’s down-the-line spike and Alejos’ service ace put the Blue Eagles at set-point, 24-17. Jon Medino then placed Ateneo one set away from keeping their playoff hopes alive with a down-the-line kill, 25-18.
The third set opened with Guinto and Pacinio trading through-the-block attacks, 1-1. Both universities remained competitive early on, 3-3, but it was the Katipunan-based unit that took control of the momentum behind Alejos’ contributions, 8-3.
Coming off the technical timeout, Arellano enjoyed a 4-0 run, 7-8, mostly due to Ateneo’s errors. Salarzon quickly countered with a block-point, but Guinto’s spikes prevented the Blue Eagles from regaining the lead, 13-11.
Needing to secure a sweep to strengthen their position in the standings, Ateneo veteran Pacinio extended his team’s lead to four with points off an angled hit and dropball, 17-13. Rookie Medino then followed suit by denying consecutive attacks from the Chiefs, 19-13. However, the Blue Eagles’ errors would once again haunt them as their lead was cut to two, 21-19.
Amidst the pressure, Ateneo relied on their captain as Salarzon delivered a crucial off-the-block hit and a denial against Guinto to halt the Chief’s momentum, 23-19. While Agovida and Sinuto remained persistent in their pursuit to extend the match, Pacinio’s experience proved to be superior as he delivered a down-the-line kill to give Ateneo the victory, 25-22.
Currently situated at fourth place in the standings, the AMVT will await the final results of the elimination round to confirm their entry into the semifinals. The playoffs are slated to begin on Saturday, October 4, in the Playtime Filoil Centre.
Ateneo (3) – AU(0): 26-24, 25-18, 25-22.
Current Standings (W-L):
- DLSU Green Spikers (6-0)
- UST Golden Spikers (5-1)
- FEU Tamaraws (3-2)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (4-3)
- NU Bulldogs (2-3)
- CSJL Knights (2-3)
- CSB Blazers (1-4)
- AU Chiefs (0-7)
