THE ATENEO Men’s Volleyball Team faltered before the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws in a four-set defeat, 27-29, 23-25, 25-15, 19-25. The Blue Eagles’ final University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88 preliminary bout happened earlier today, April 22, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
This loss seals Ateneo’s win-loss record at 7-7, locking in the fourth seed of the postseason round. The Blue Eagles are set to battle it out once more against the first-seeded Tamaraws, who hold a twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four clash.
Aimar Okeke led the Blue and White with 24 points coming from 22 spikes and two blocks. Team Captain Jian Salarzon followed through and tallied 13 conversions courtesy of 11 attacks, one deflection, and one service ace. On the side of Morayta, Amet Bituin garnered 21 markers from 18 spikes and three blocks.
The AMVT opened the match with a commanding presence, highlighted by Brian Castro’s first-ball kill at 4-2. Preventing Ateneo from growing their advantage, the Tamaraws responded with a 4-1 run courtesy of FEU’s wingers, 6-5. However, the Blue Eagles quickened their pace to take over the lead following Okeke’s efficient conversions, 10-8.
Adamant to extend their cushion, Blue Eagle Rodge Alejos converted a quick hit and blocked Tamaraw Charles Absin’s kill attempt, 12-9. Blue and White hitters Salarzon and Amil Pacinio then varied their swings to rattle the Tamaraws’ net defense, 14-11. However, unpredictable offense from FEU’s Bituin allowed the Tamaraws to level the board, 16-16.
Both teams exchanged points towards the final stretch, with Okeke and Salarzon spearheading Ateneo’s offense, 21-20. Alejos then brought the AMVT to set point with a quick, until an attack by Tamaraw Dryx Saavedra forced a 24-all deuce. While the Loyola Heights-based team consistently gained the upper hand, Green and Gold middle blocker Lirick Mendoza handed FEU the set following a block and a middle hit, 29-27.
To start the second canto, the Blue Eagles were gifted two points courtesy of Absin and Espartero’s attack errors, 2-0. As the Morayta-based squad charged a three-point run, Ateneo playmaker Enzo Gutierrez pressured FEU’s reception once more to boost Salarzon’s down-the-line attack, 4-3. The Blue and White fortified their triple-man wall following a rejection against Mendoza, 7-6.
After an exchange of kills, Salarzon saw the Green and Gold’s open zone five and shot a crosscourt attack, 12-11. The Katipunan-based squad absorbed Saavedra’s answer with the Tamaraw’s down-the-line kill, 13-14, but Okeke soared above the blockers to conclude the rally, 15-15.
With both units on their best footing, Gutierrez activated Alejos for a quick attack to surge ahead, 19-17. Salarzon executed a line-clipping diagonal shot to follow through, 21-19. Furthering Absin’s attack error and Ateneo sustaining the momentum, Bituin proved formidable with points from the open wing, 23-23. Despite the AMVT’s commendable hustle, they dropped the set at 23-25.
Entering the third frame, Batas started for the AMVT and led a 4-1 run, disrupting the Tamaraws’ defensive patterns. Although FEU retaliated with a 4-1 counter-strike, Okeke’s offensive output from the right pin proved effective against the Morayta-based team, topped off by Castro’s blocks on Mendoza and Bituin, 9-6.
The Blue Eagles continued to control the set courtesy of Batas’ in-court leadership, executing three consecutive points to mount a four-point lead, 13-9. Locating the Tamaraws’ lapses, a sharp crosscourt kill from Okeke gave Ateneo a large advantage, forcing FEU Coach Eddieson Orcullo to call for a time out, 16-10.
Trading points towards the end of the set, the Salarzon-Batas-Okeke winger triumvirate consistently produced points off attacks, leaving no room for the Green and Gold to catch up, 21-14. Despite another FEU timeout, Batas displayed excellence with an attack through FEU’s defense and a deflection on Bituin’s kill attempt, 24-14. Even with Bituin’s last-minute conversion, Alejos was able to conclude the third set in favor of Ateneo, 25-15.
Aiming to pick up where they left off, Okeke resumed his unstoppable force from the opposite wing, 1-2. The Katipunan-based squad’s system froze after enduring Espartero’s emphatic bounce ball hit, 4-7. Refusing to let the Tamaraws widen their lead, Batas broke through the loose triple-block of FEU, 6-10, while Castro executed a quick attack, leveraging on the perfect first pass from Salarzon, 10-13.
Following Cacao’s crafty one-two play, 10-14, the Blue Eagles entered a slump after the Green and Gold started executing Absin-assisted combination plays with Espartero, 11-15. The go-to player from Morayta committed a net fault, 12-18, which gave the opportunity for Batas to sharpen the Blue Eagles’ talons with a down-the-line kill, 14-19. Adding more fuel to their pace, an exemplary save from Pao Medino allowed Okeke to close out the long rally, 15-19.
After fading out in the last few sequences, Alejos was quickly activated by Gutierrez to stop the bleeding, 17-21. More piston plays from the Tamaraws’ side deceived Ateneo’s blockers and gifted Mendoza a free kill, 18-24. Even though the Blue and White stuck to their system carefully, Miguel closed out the fourth frame courtesy of a crosscourt kill, 19-25.
Securing a postseason berth after seven years, the Blue Eagles enter the semifinals with grit to learn from today’s loss and emerge victorious against the same foe with a twice-to-beat advantage on Wednesday, April 29, at 9:00 AM at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Box scores:
Ateneo (1): Okeke – 24, Salarzon – 13, Batas – 10, Alejos – 9, Castro – 6, Pacinio – 6, Gutierrez – 1
FEU (3): Bituin – 21, Saavedra – 16, Espartero – 13, Mendoza – 11, Absin – 3, Miguel – 3, Cacao – 2
Set scores:
Ateneo-FEU: 27-29, 23-25, 25-15, 19-25
Current Standings (W-L):
- FEU Tamaraws (13-1)**
- NU Bulldogs (10-3)*
- UST Golden Spikers (9-4)*
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (7-7)*
- DLSU Green Spikers (6-8) – e
- UE Red Warriors (4-10) – e
- UP Fighting Maroons (3-11) – e
- AdU Soaring Falcons (3-11) – e
**- clinched twice-to-beat advantage in Final Four
*- clinched Final Four berth
e – eliminated from Final Four contention
