THE ATENEO Men’s Volleyball Team succumbed to the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws in five sets, 23-25, 25-20,  25-16, 17-25, 12-15. The University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88 semifinals match was held earlier today, March 28, at the University of Santo Tomas Quadricentennial Pavilion in the City of Manila.

With this loss, the Ateneo Blue Eagles end their campaign in fourth place, after their first Final Four breakthrough since Season 81.  

Aimar Okeke and Ken Batas spearheaded the scoring department for the Blue and White, tallying 24 and 15 points, respectively. For the Morayta-based squad, Dryx Saavedra became Ateneo’s achilles heel, 14 points solely from kills. 

The Blue Eagles entered the match with attacking intent, as Amil Pacinio and Okeke immediately supplied points from the wings, 3-2. Unable to maximize their early advantage, the Blue Eagles struggled to contain Miko Espartero’s frontline maneuvers to concede the lead at 6-8. Responding decisively, Rodge Alejos and Enzo Gutierrez then powered a quick 3-0 blitz to level the board, 9-9. 

Despite their promising surge, the Blue Eagles struggled to pull away as FEU attackers 

began to operate at will, 12-12. Desperate to make his mark in the match, Salarzon then contributed back-to-back hits to retake the advantage, 14-13. Regardless, Ateneo found themselves on the receiving end of FEU’s varied offense to put the set at a standstill anew, 17-17. 

Determined to take the set, Pacinio and Salarzon contributed crucial hits to give Ateneo a two-point cushion at the backend of the set, 20-18. However, the Blue Eagles once again lost control of the lead as they allowed FEU to curate an emphatic 3-0 run, 21-22. The Blue Eagles sought to spark a comeback via Preece Atendido’s defensive heroics, 23-24, but a Bituin down-the-line kill eventually secured the set for FEU, 23-25.

The Blue Eagles started the second frame strong with a fortified wall, highlighted by Brian Castro’s single block against FEU’s attempted quick, 4-3. Despite successful kills from the Tamaraws, Ateneo remained in the driver’s seat through a well-rounded attack front, 8-5.

Okeke showcased his net defense abilities after a one-on-one denial on FEU’s star spiker, Bituin, 11-7. Although Saavedra retaliated with a crosscourt kill, 11-8, Okeke’s persevering floor defense coupled with attack errors from FEU allowed Ateneo to mount a seven-point lead, 15-8. 

The Blue Eagles maintained their composure midway through the set, unfazed by attacks from Saavedra and Espartero, 19-13. Although FEU’s Charles Absin denied Batas at the net, 19-14, the reigning Most Valuable Player immediately redeemed the point with an attack of his own. 21-14. 

Determined to turn things around, the Tamaraw attackers Absin and Saavedra rallied for two consecutive attacks, 21-16. However, the Blue Eagle frontline remained aggressive on the offense, with Team Captain Salarzon executing an off-the-block hit to take the second set, 25-20.

The Blue Eagles found themselves staring at an early deficit to commence the third canto, 1-3. Intent on shifting the tide, Okeke and Batas immediately generated pinpoint attacks to pull Ateneo within two, 6-8. Replicating his teammate’s brilliance, Alejos then denied Saavedra at the net to place the set at a deadlock, 9-9.

Building on his stellar play, Okeke continued to impose his will from the wings to retake the advantage for the Blue Eagles, 12-10. Capitalizing on their adversaries’ attacking errors and Batas’ versatile play, Ateneo then surged to a 16-12 lead midway through the set. 

Supplementing his earlier brilliance, Okeke manufactured another vicious hit to build a comfortable cushion at 18-13. Rising to the occasion once more, Okeke launched a monstrous crosscourt bomb to keep FEU at bay, 20-13. 

With momentum evidently on their side, Salarzon and Batas powered a pivotal barrage at the backend of the frame, 24-16. Soon after, Batas dispatched a pinpoint left wing kill to claim the canto for the Blue Eagles, 25-16.

Struggling to sustain their momentum from the previous set, errors from the Blue Eagles surrendered a 3-0 run for FEU. Despite Batas’ efforts from the wing, the Tamaraws continued to widen their advantage with fiery kills and solid net defense, 3-7. 

Although the Blue Eagle attackers managed to keep scoring from off-the-block hits, 6-9, FEU’s Doula Ndogala served as the team’s offensive sparkplug that destabilized Ateneo’s defense, 7-12. With momentum claimed by the Morayta-based squad, the Blue Eagles struggled to anticipate incoming attacks and blocks, 8-14. From here, the Tamaraws cruised past Ateneo with solid kills from all wings, entering the latter half of the set with a nine-point lead, 11-20. 

Although the FEU committed errors on the third touch, 13-20, their on-court synergy did not falter as they continued penetrating the Blue and White’s net and floor, 14-22. Castro and Batas provided Ateneo with a breather through well-placed attacks, 16-22, however, this proved insufficient against FEUs persistent quicks, 16-23. Soon after, Tamaraw Espartero brought the match to a fifth set, after an emphatic crosscourt kill, 17-25. 

The Blue Eagles got off to a slow start in the deciding frame as they immediately conceded back-to-back points to the Tamaraws, 0-2. Refusing to back down, Okeke generated a crafty attack to stop the bleeding for the Blue Eagles, 2-5. Soon after, Salarzon rivaled Bituin’s rapid hits to keep Ateneo within striking distance, 3-7.

Regardless, the Blue Eagles struggled to keep up with Espartero’s middle attacks midway through the frame, 5-9. Showcasing undaunted leadership, Batas responded with crucial kills from the left wing, 7-10. Following suit, Okeke unleashed a series of decisive maneuvers to cut the deficit to two, 10-12.

Building on their growing momentum, Pacinio and Okeke converted gutsy attacks to pull Ateneo within one, 12-13. Despite this, Ateneo’s blockade allowed Bituin to find his rhythm down the wire, 12-14. Losing their grasp of the set, the Blue Eagles then failed to withstand Bituin’s late-game attack to ultimately concede the match to FEU, 12-15.

With a commendable improvement from their previous fifth-place finish last year, the Ateneo Blue Eagles will look ahead to the next season with renewed optimism as they build upon their Season 88 achievements.  

Box scores:

Ateneo (2): Okeke – 24, Batas -15, Salarzon – 12, Alejos – 8, Castro – 7, Pacinio – 6, Atendido – 1, Gutierrez – 1

FEU (3): Saavedra – 14, Mendoza – 13, Bituin – 12, Espartero – 11, Cacao – 4, Ndongala – 4, Absin – 4, Miguel – 2

Set scores: 23-25, 25-20, 25-16, 17-25, 12-15

Ateneo-FEU: 2-3