Ateneo outlasts UP in marathon

c/o UAAP Media Team

UAAP Season 87 Women’s Volleyball Tournament Standings

NU 7-0
UST 5-2
DLSU 5-2
DLSU 4-3
AdU 3-5
Ateneo 3-5
UP 3-5
UE 0-7

Games Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena

9 a.m. - NU vs DLSU (Men)
11 a.m. - FEU vs UST (Men)
1 p.m. - FEU vs UST (Women)
5 p.m. - NU vs DLSU (Women)

Ateneo de Manila University continued its dominance over University of the Philippines, grinding out a hard-fought 15-25, 25-23, 27-25, 30-32, 16-14 five-set thriller to open its UAAP Season 87 Women’s Volleyball Tournament second-round campaign at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, Saturday.

Team captain Lyann de Guzman, AC Miner, and Yvanna Sulit played pivotal roles in the Blue Eagles’ victory, which allowed them to forge a three-way tie for fifth place with the Adamson University Lady Falcons and the Fighting Maroons, all holding identical 3-5 records.

They are now trailing fourth-running Far Eastern University by one-and-a-half game in the race for the No. 4 spot in the Final Four.

The win reaffirmed Ateneo’s mastery over UP, having previously swept the Fighting Maroons 25-18, 25-22, 25-18 in their first-round encounter on February 23.

This victory also marked Ateneo’s 11th consecutive win against UP, a streak that dates back to Season 81’s first-round clash in 2019. The last time the Fighting Maroons triumphed over the Blue Eagles was in the second round of Season 80 on April 7, 2018.

“Today, when you think about the teams, we don’t have one specific special player to play very very long. Today, it’s special for our team because we play sometimes with mistakes, but the team never gave up today. If I think about how special this is today, that’s because everybody played at a high level,” Blue Eagles head coach Sergio Veloso said.

A quick hit from Jihan Chuatico, two straight attacks from De Guzman, and a Yvanna Sulit push attack allowed Ateneo to build a comfortable 11-7 cushion, but the trio of Joan Monares, Kianne Olango, and Nina Ytang spearheaded a clutch 7-1 UP run to arrive at match point with a 14-12 lead.

However, the Blue Eagles displayed incredible poise under pressure as two consecutive hits from Zey Pacia knotted the match at 14-all.

Ateneo then relied on back-to-back UP errors -- an Irah Jaboneta net touch error and an attack error from rookie Yesha Noceja -- to seal the dramatic come-from-behind win in two hours and 53 minutes.

“Sabi ko nga sa kanila bago pa maglaro, ibigay na ang lahat kasi wala naman nang mawawala sa amin. We just need to give out 110 percent. Hindi namin ito makukuha kung hindi kami lahat nagtrabaho. I am very proud of my teammates kasi napakita nila na kaya nila and nagstep up ang everyone kahit sino ‘man ipasok sa court,” De Guzman said.

De Guzman fueled the Blue Eagles’ third Season 87 triumph with a game-high 25-point performance built on 23 attacks, one block, and one ace along with 17 excellent receptions and 14 excellent digs, while Miner contributed 19 points on 17 attacks and two blocks with 10 excellent digs.

The duo of De Guzman and Miner were provided with ample support coming from three other Ateneo players in double figures in Pacia (13 points), Chuatico (12 points), and Sulit (11 points).

Taks Fujimoto tossed 26 excellent sets with two points, while starting libero Fiona Arroyo had 16 excellent receptions and 10 excellent digs.

The Blue Eagles look to tally their third consecutive win when they clash against the Lady Falcons next Saturday, March 29, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.

Ytang paced the Fighting Maroons in the losing effort with 24 points on 19 attacks, four blocks, and one ace, while Jaboneta achieved 20 points on 17 attacks, two blocks, and one ace with 13 excellent receptions and 10 excellent digs.

Monares scored 18 points on 15 attacks, two aces, and one block with eight excellent digs and seven excellent receptions, while American middle blocker Kassandra Doering and Olango chipped in 15 and 13 points, respectively.

UP, meanwhile, aims to rediscover its winning form against the undefeated National University on Wednesday, March 26, at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.