THE ATENEO Men’s Volleyball Team (AMVT) weathered the storm in another five-set thriller against the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Spikers, 25-22, 25-18, 20-25, 20-25, 15-13. The University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88 match was held earlier today, March 1, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
Following this result, the Blue Eagles remain at fourth place with a 2-2 win-loss record, while DLSU stays winless in the Men’s Volleyball Tournament. This win also marks the end of Ateneo’s three-year losing streak to DLSU in the UAAP, defeating their archrivals for the first time since Season 85.
Spearheading the long-awaited win for the Blue Eagles was veteran Amil Pacinio who delivered 18 points off 16 attacks and two aces. Supplementing the veteran, Kennedy Batas provided 16 points off 12 attacks, two blocks, and two aces. Meanwhile, rookie Rodge Alejos controlled the frontline with 12 points, including seven blocks.
Opening the first set for the Blue and White was Pacinio who delivered back-to-back kills, 2-1. Capitalizing on this hot start, veteran playmaker Enzo Gutierrez won a well-contested joust against JJ Rodriguez to put the Katipunan-based squad ahead by three, 7-4. Witnessing DLSU’s charge, Kennedy Batas delivered a kill off a Brian Castro-assisted piston play, 8-5.
Despite having the upper hand, the Blue Eagles failed to contain DLSU’s diversified playmaking as Ezer Regidor activated Ousseini Issa, Rui Ventura, and Chris Hernandez, 9-9. Coming out of a timeout, Pacinio checked the green floor’s cracks to stop the bleeding, 14-13. Consequently, the Blue and White produced a 4-0 run, courtesy of Batas single-handedly shutting down Ventura, 18-14.
Regardless of their efforts, the Blue Eagles endured an attack frenzy from the Green and White, 22-20. In an effort to solidify his squad’s lead, Pacinio broke down the DLSU blockade to cut the Taft-based unit’s streak, 23-20. After Rodge Alejos denied Issa’s access from the pipe at 24-21, veteran winger Jian Salarzon followed through with a cross-court kill to snatch their first set of the match, 25-22.
Eager to shift the tide, DLSU opened the second set with a block point from Issa and cross-court attack from Glen Ventura, 2-0. Following an exchange of service errors that kept Ateneo behind, 3-4, Pacinio sent a swift ace to level the board, 4-4. While the Green Spikers displayed more precision in their blocking to deny Batas, 4-5, the veteran adjusted to seize the lead on back-to-back kills, 6-5.
From there, the Blue Eagles rediscovered their offensive rhythm as Batas, Salarzon, and Pacinio utilized off-the-block hits to evade the blockers, 13-8. DLSU’s Uriel Mendoza and Issa then delivered consecutive kills to close the gap, 13-10. However, Ateneo surged on a 4-1 run, capping off the streak with another service ace from Pacinio, 17-11.
Remaining as a steady force for the Blue Eagles, Batas delivered down-the-line and off-the-block attacks to sustain a sizable lead, 21-16. With both sides of the court suffering from errors, Ateneo saw their lead at set-point, 24-18. Taking matters into his own hands, Salarzon put the set to bed with an off-the-block hit, 25-18.
Hoping for their first sweep of the season, Batas served an ace to pick up where they left off, 1-0. Following this feat, Pacinio followed through with an off-the-block kill, 4-3. As a result, the Green and White responded with an emphatic rejection of Issa to Batas, forcing a deadlock, 5-5. Pacinio entered a lucky break with a toss to the DLSU defense’s campfire, 6-5.
The Katipunan-based squad’s rhythm started to falter as Ateneo failed to hustle at the net, letting Green Spiker Gloria deliver pipe attacks, 8-11. Shutting down DLSU’s run, Salarzon executed a cross-court kill, 9-11.
In spite of this, Ateneo committed back-to-back faults to hand DLSU a 4-point run, 11-17. However, Aimar Okeke checked in for the Blue and White, providing two crucial points, 13-19.
Gunning to turn things around, Ateneo capitalized on consecutive DLSU blunders with Salarzon’s clean kill, 18-22. Despite receiving gift points from the Green and White’s errors, Pacinio penultimately handed down the canto to DLSU after committing a service error at the final frames of the set, 20-25.
Looking to shut the door on La Salle’s comeback attempt, Alejos set the tone for the fourth set with a quick attack, 1-0. Simulating the intense rally that transpired later in the set, Eugene Gloria traded attacks with Ateneo’s wing Spikers, 3-3. However, it was the Vince Mangulaban-coached unit that first got ahead after a 4-1 blitz, 7-4.
Gutierrez manned the offense for the Blue and White, distributing a balanced attack and dishing out his own points through blocks, spikes, and freeballs en route to a set-high seven-point advantage, 13-6. In spite of an Ateneo win looking inevitable, errors would once again haunt them, enabling DLSU to mount a comeback, 14-12. Pacinio then broke the cold streak with an off-the-block hit, but was quickly countered by three-consecutive left-pin kills from Gloria, 15-15.
Continuing the exchange, Gutierrez activated middle blocker Brian Castro for a quick attack to maintain the lead, 16-15. This time, however, Ateneo failed to contain their archrivals’ surge as DLSU went on another 3-0 run behind their frontline blocking, 19-16.
The backend of the set witnessed Batas power through the blockers in an attempt to spark momentum for the Blue and White, 20-21. However, Batas’ effort was to no avail as Ateneo’s defense faltered against Ventura’s three attacks and Gloria’s down-the-line attack, 20-25, forcing the Blue Eagles into a deciding set.
Commencing the fifth set, Ateneo orchestrated a fortified net defense to deny the reliable spikers of DLSU, entering a five to none stretch, 5-0. Watching the Taft-based squad’s motion to level the board, Castro and Salarzon struggled to close the blocks against the hot hand of Gloria, 6-4.
Surging ahead, Castro read Issa’s quick attack, 8-6. The Blue and White faced more rejections which stimulated DLSU to even out the playing field, 10-10. With stakes as high as can be, the Katipunan-based squad remained composed and closed out the fifth frame via a Pacinio through-the-block kill, 15-13.
Hoping to establish their first winning streak, the AMVT looks to brave the top-seeded Far Eastern University Tamaraws on Wednesday, March 1, 11:00 AM at the same venue.
Box scores:
Ateneo (3): Pacinio – 18, Salarzon – 17, Batas – 16, Alejos – 12, Gutierrez – 6, Castro – 3, Okeke – 2, Gutierrez – 5
DLSU (2): Ventura – 18, Gloria – 15, Hernandez – 15, Issa – 11, Mendoza – 2, Layug – 3, Bangit – 3, Magalaman – 2
Set scores:
Ateneo-DLSU: 25-22, 25-18, 20-25, 20-25, 15-13
Current Standings (W-L):
- FEU Tamaraws (3-0)
- NU Bulldogs (3-1)
- UST Golden Spikers (3-1)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (2-2)
- AdU Soaring Falcons (1-2)
- UP Fighting Maroons (1-3)
- UE Red Warriors (1-3)
- DLSU Green Spikers (0-4)
