THE ATENEO Men’s Volleyball Team (AMVT) struggled to find a steady pace in their match against league frontrunners Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws, 25-23, 24-26, 15-25, 19-25. The match was held earlier today, March 4, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
Following this loss, Ateneo dropped to fifth place in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88 Men’s Volleyball Tournament standings with a 2-3 win-loss record.
Remaining a reliable spiker for the Blue Eagles, Aimar Okeke led in scoring with 18 attacks while Jian Salarzon delivered 12 points off nine attacks and three blocks. On the other side of the court, FEU’s Mikko Espartero took the Player of the Game honors with 14 attacks and two blocks.
After errors on both sides of the court to start the game, 1-1, FEU’s Doula Ndongala and Zhydryxx Saavedra quickly established their offensive tempo, 3-1. With the help of the Tamaraws’ service errors and Amil Pacinio’s single-coverage denial on Espartero, Ateneo managed to stay at pace, 4-4.
As both sides struggled from miscues, Espartero and Okeke steered their respective offenses by trading kills, 8-8. The Blue Eagles then gained the upperhand as Rodge Alejos manned the frontline with his blocks and quick attacks, 12-9. After a drop-shot from Pacinio, FEU quickly evened the score with Espartero’s consecutive cross-court hits and a block-point on Salarzon, 13-13.
From there, it was the Morayta-based unit who got the best of the back-and-forth exchange behind Ngdongala and Saavedra’s steady presence, 20-18. While Ateneo’s defense started to falter against FEU’s wing prowess, 21-23, they refused to concede, calling Okeke for a pipe attack, 22-23.
Surging on a 4-0 blitz, Okeke’s off-speed hit and Pacinio’s off-the-block spike enabled the Blue Eagles to pull off the stunner in the opening set, 25-23.
Determined to sustain their dominant first frame, the Blue Eagles capitalized on Tamaraw Amet Bituin’s early errors, 1-0. Simultaneously, Alejos took the chance to convert quick attacks for a 4-0 run. However, this impressive showing was broken by Okeke’s service error at 5-3.
Refusing to cut the margin close, Okeke compensated with a backrow attack for a four-point lead, 8-4. Still, the Blue and White failed to contain FEU Bituin’s consecutive conversions, 9-7. Matters then continued to worsen as Salarzon struggled to get past Bituin’s defense, losing the upper hand at 9-10.
While Salarzon and Okeke made efforts to reclaim the lead, they were no match to Espartero’s pipe attack, 11-12. With this, the Katipunan-based squad leaned on Saavedra’s error to keep close, 13-15.
Seeing the Tamaraws’ faulty play, Okeke used FEU’s unstable net defense to keep in step, 14-16, while Salarzon also contributed with a tip to end a highly-contested rally, 15-17. Despite these efforts, Salarzon’s service error two rallies later allowed the Tamaraws to remain in the driver’s seat, 18-19.
With the game at a stalemate, Alejos attempted to break free with an off-the-block hit, 21-20. However, Enzo Gutierrez and Okeke added on to Ateneo’s service faults, situating themselves at 22-all. Overcome with fatigue, the Blue and White could not contain FEU’s Espartero any longer, suffering a 24-26 set outcome.
The third set saw both teams utilize their middle blockers as Brian Castro and Lirick Mendoza exchanged quick attacks, 2-3. Powered by their momentum from the second frame, Espartero applied attacking pressure with varied attacks, 5-7. Castro’s service fault, followed by back-to-back points from Ariel Cacao and Saavedra then forced Head Coach Vince Mangulabnan to call a timeout, 5-10.
In an effort to stop the bleeding, Alejos delivered a well-executed quick attack play off the timeout, but was countered immediately by a Mendoza running attack and a Cacao ace, 6-12. Hampered by faulty defense and passing, Ateneo could not rediscover their rhythm from the first set, falling behind into an 8-16 hole.
The middle blocker-centered plays remained an advantage for the Blue Eagles as Castro prompted a 3-0 run, 11-16. However, a service error from Pacinio and pipe attack from Bituin dealt Ateneo another setback, 11-18. With the set looking out of reach for Ateneo, FEU’s frontline sealed the deal on three-straight monstrous blocks against Miguel Yu and Salarzon, 15-25.
Trying to shake off the tension, Okeke executes a pipe attack to force a 1-1 deadlock. Atendido then handed the Tamaraws a regalo to inch closer, 3-6. Accelerating further, the Blue Eagles leveraged on Saavedra’s error at 5-7. Okeke continued to sustain his drive, countering Absin and Espartero’s attacks with an off-the-block hit, 5-10. However, Ateneo continued to be plagued by mislips as Okeke committed a net fault at 7-12.
With stakes rising, Alejos took the reins and strengthened Ateneo’s defense, 9-14. Still, the Blue Eagle could not deny FEU Espartero’s attack, 11-17. As reimbursement, Alejos remained driven, delivering a down-the-line kill at 14-20.
Despite the Blue and White’s persistence, they faltered to Mendoza and Cacao’s tandem on the floor, 15-22. While Okeke still attempted to keep the Blue Eagles alive with an off-the-block conversion, Saavedra settled the matter with an off-the-block of his own to take the game at 25-19.
Facing another league juggernaut, the AMVT will look to bounce back against the five-peat defending champions National University Bulldogs on Sunday, March 8, 9:00 AM at the same venue.
Box scores:
Ateneo (1): Okeke – 18, Salarzon – 12, Alejos – 12, Brian Castro – 9, Pacinio – 5, Atendido – 1,
FEU (3): Espartero – 21, Saavedra – 12, Mendoza – 15, Absin – 11, Bituin – 9, Cacao – 3, Ndongala – 2
Set scores:
Ateneo-FEU: 25-23, 24-26, 15-25, 19-25
Current Standings (W-L):
- FEU Tamaraws (5-0)
- NU Bulldogs (4-1)
- UST Golden Spikers (3-1)
- UP Fighting Maroons (2-2)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (2-3)
- AdU Soaring Falcons (1-3)
- UE Red Warriors (1-4)
- DLSU Green Spikers (0-4)
