THE ATENEO Men’s Volleyball team surrendered game one of the 2025 V-League Collegiate Challenge semi-final round to their archrivals, De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Spikers in four sets, 24-26, 25-22, 13-25, 18-25. The match occurred earlier today, October 1, at the Playtime Filoil Centre in the City of San Juan.

Starting out the first set hot, Team Captain Jian Salarzon outsmarted DLSU blockers and executed a drop ball, 1-1. After committing a service error, the Blue Eagle redeemed the point with a pipe attack, 2-2, while a miscommunication from the Taft-based squad rewarded Ateneo with a one-point lead, 3-2.

Opposite hitter Amil Pacinio continued to add fuel to the fire with a line-clipping service ace, 5-3. As the grit and composure of the Green and White intensified, Eugene Gloria broke down the Katipunan wall with a heavy hand, 8-7. An affair of mishits and service errors in the following rallies forced both squads into a deadlock, 11-11. 

Deceiving the formidable defense of the Green Spikers, Setter Enzo Gutierrez spiked towards zone six to get ahead, 15-12. A late shift in tempo stimulated DLSU to consistently target the volatile first ball of outside hitter Miguel Yu, cutting the deficit, 21-22. Eager to sustain the momentum for Ateneo, Ken Batas clocked in to dismantle the DLSU defense, but Chris Hernandez answered back with a pipe attack, 24-24. The extended set concluded with a Salarzon attack error, 24-26.

Eager to bounce back from their first set defeat, a cross-court hammer delivered by Pacinio tied the second set, 1-all. As the team continued to apply strong pressure from the service line, outside hitter Batas scored an off-the-block point to extend Ateneo’s lead, 5-2. However, the Green Spikers quickly retaliated, as middle blocker Issa Ousseini’s quick attack tied the set, 5-5. 

With the second set in a standstill, the Blue Eagles turned to the attacking duo of Batas and Pacinio, as the pair’s offensive prowess reestablished a three-point lead, 8-5. Despite conceding on multiple errors, the Blue Eagles remained in front following another Pacinio spike, 12-9. 

Pacinio persisted in his attempts to exploit the weak De La Salle net defense, as the Cebuano native powered through another Lasallian block to score, 15-11. With the Taft-based unit struggling to atone for their errors on deck, Ateneo’s lead grew to the largest of the set, 19-15. Yet, back-to-back attacking errors from the Blue Eagles found their once four-point lead cut down to two, 19-17. 

Providing stability to the experienced Blue Eagle unit, returning libero Lance de Castro showcased his incredible defensive abilities, setting up Pacinio for a momentum-saving spike, 21-19. Following another outstanding defensive stand from the Blue Eagles, Yu’s off-the-block point put the Blue Eagles at set point, 24-21. Although the Green Spikers preserved one set point after a Batas service error, Salarzon skied through the air for a powerful finish, awarding Ateneo the second set, 25-22. 

Looking to steal the Blue Eagles’ momentum, Ousseini opened the third frame with a sharp quick attack, 0-1. Salarzon answered back with an off-the-block kill to cut the Green and White’s lead, 1-2. Furthering the exchange of kills from both units, Karl Corregidor concluded the long rally with a monster block against Gloria, 6-6.

As the Green Spikers’ defense cracked, Blue Eagle Playmaker Gutierrez shocked the DLSU floor with a one-two play, 7-9. Witnessing the Blue and White’s mission to catch up, Ousseini shut the door two times in a row against the Ateneo hitters, 7-12. Back-to-back service errors and mishits from Salarzon and Gutierrez challenged the wit of the Blue Eagles, 8-15.

Anchoring on the tested composure of Ateneo, DLSU Team Captain Joshua Rodriguez denied Pacinio’s heated entry, 9-18. Batas delivered an emphatic down-the-line attack to energize his squad, 11-20. As the Katipunan-based squad was searching for the right rhythm, Rodriguez cemented the green blockade against Batas to clinch the canto, 13-25.

Unable to shake off their struggles at the onset of the fourth set, the Blue Eagles fell into an early disadvantage after Salarzon’s attack was denied at the net, 1-3. Despite Pacinio’s early brilliance, the offense struggled to break through the Green Spikers’ towering wall, falling behind 3-8.

Hoping to spark a comeback in the fourth set,  Yu’s off-the-block point cut the Blue Eagle deficit, 5-8. However, the Katipunan-based unit was unable to contain Gloria’s powerful cross-court hits, as the team’s deficit increased back to five, 7-12. Still battling in the competition, the Blue Eagles capitalized on their opponent’s error-laden play, as a solo block from Roj Alejo followed by Salarzon’s regalo kill trimmed the deficit further, 12-14.

However, the team’s comeback rally slowly faded due to DLSU’s incredulous floor defense, leading Ateneo to the largest deficit of the set, 15-22. As DLSU’s star opposite Rui Ventura continued to stamp his class on the match, the Blue Eagles made one last attempt to get back into the game through Batas’s consecutive points, 18-23. Despite their efforts, a final hammer from Gloria sealed the match for the Green Spikers, 18-25.

Looking to keep their season alive, the Blue Eagles aim to force a do-or-die game three in their semifinals series against the DLSU Green Spikers. Game two takes place tomorrow, October 5, at the same venue. 

Quarter/Set scores: 

Ateneo-DLSU: 24-26, 25-22, 13-25, 18-25