THE ATENEO Blue Eagles emerged triumphantly after sweeping the University of the East (UE) Lady Warriors, 25-23, 25-19, 29-27. The Blue and White’s penultimate University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) match was held earlier today at the University of Santo Tomas Quadricentennial Pavilion in the City of Manila.
This win puts the Blue Eagles at 2-11 in the elimination round of the UAAP.
Rookies Dona De Leon and Ana Hermosura displayed their offensive prowess after notching 11 attacks apiece, and scoring 14 and 11 respectively. Moreover, sophomore star Jihan Chuatico shouldered Ateneo’s outing at the net, tallying 12 points off seven attacks and five blocks.
In the opening stages of the match, the Blue Eagles struggled to contain UE’s attack, giving up an early lead after a barrage of strikes from Khy Cepada and Angel Pepino, 3-9. Eager to narrow the deficit, Chuatico showed her prowess on both ends of the court, securing back-to-back points off a block and attack, 6-9.
Midway through the set, both teams traded blows as Ateneo slowly began to chip away at UE’s lead through a pair of drop ball attacks from De Leon, 11-14. Fellow rookie standout Hermosura added onto the offensive onslaught, finding the gap in the Lady Warrior defense, 16-18.
With the pressure mounting, the Blue Eagles’ deficit was erased following a trio of errors from UE, followed by an emphatic De Leon hit down the middle to tie the set, 20-20.
Despite the Lady Warriors’ best efforts to take the set back, the Blue and White capitalized on their growing momentum, taking the first frame after a service ace from substitute Rob Silla, 25-23.
Keen on having a commanding start to the second set, the Blue Eagles established early control via back-to-back quick kills from De Leon, 4-2. Chuatico joined her teammate in the offensive blitz as she powered Ateneo’s 7-1 run, 11-4, with three straight points from two block breakers and a block.
The Blue Eagles took advantage of the error-plagued Lady Warriors by activating their attackers, helping the Blue and White cement a comfortable eight-point cushion, 14-6. While the set saw a short-lived back-and-forth affair, 20-10, Ateneo absorbed a pivotal 9-2 UE run that trimmed the Blue Eagles’ lead to three, 22-19.
Despite losing momentum at the latter part of the set, a UE service error paved the way for De Leon and Hermosura to deliver the finishing blow and ultimately seal the set, 25-19.
Early on in the third frame, the Blue Eagles found themselves behind once more following a multitude of errors, forcing a timeout from Head Coach Sergio Veloso, 5-8. In response, the Blue Eagles quickly answered back with De Leon continuing to dominate the net, spearheading a 4-1 blitz to tie the frame, 11-11.
The deadlock was short-lived however, as the Blue and White could not contain Lady Warrior Van Bangayan in a 6-2 run that returned the control to UE, 14-17. With the looming possibility of a fourth set rising, Hermosura scored three straight attacks for the Blue and White to keep the game within striking distance, 23-24.
Entering crunch time, both teams took turns at match point, but neither side was able to seal the victory amid costly errors and a series of coach’s challenges, 27-27.
In the face of pressure, Ateneo capitalized on one last UE attack error as JLo Delos Santos secured the game in dramatic fashion, with a service ace to end the bout in a clean sweep, 29-27.
Hoping to end the season on a winning run, the Blue Eagles will set their sights on the FEU Lady Tamaraws on Wednesday, April 22 at 1:00 PM at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
Box scores:
Ateneo (3): De Leon – 14, Hermosura – 11, Chuatico – 12, Delos Santos – 9, Pacia – 5, Cortez – 4, Tsunashima – 1, Silla – 1
UE (0): Cepada – 18, Bangayan – 12, Pepino – 9, Nogueras – 4, Canete – 1, Famulagan – 1
Set scores:
Ateneo-UE: 25-23, 25-19, 29-27
Current Standings (W-L):
- DLSU Lady Spikers (13-0)
- NU Lady Bulldogs (9-3)
- AdU Lady Falcons (8-5)
- FEU Lady Tamaraws (7-5)
- UST Golden Tigresses (7-5)
- UP Fighting Maroons (5-8)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (2-11)
- UE Lady Warriors (0-14)
