Ateneo de Manila University continued its dominance over the 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 on Saturday.
Team captain Lyann de Guzman, AC Miner, and Yvanna Sulit played pivotal roles in the Blue Eagles’ victory, which forged a three-way tie for fifth place with the Adamson University Lady Falcons and the Fighting Maroons, all holding identical 3-5 records.
Ateneo now trails fourth-running Far Eastern University by one and a half games 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 dating back to Season 81’s first-round clash in 2019. The last time the Fighting Maroons defeated the Blue Eagles was in the second round of Season 80 on April 7, 2018.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
“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 played sometimes with mistakes, but the team never gave up. If I think about how special this is today, it’s because everybody played at a high level,” said Blue Eagles head coach Sergio Veloso.
A quick hit from Jihan Chuatico, two straight attacks from De Guzman, and a push from Sulit allowed Ateneo to build a comfortable 11-7 cushion. However, the trio of Joan Monares, Kianne Olango, and Nina Ytang led a clutch 7-1 UP run to arrive at match point with a 14-12 lead.
But the Blue Eagles showed incredible poise under pressure, as back-to-back hits from Zey Pacia tied the match at 14-all.
Ateneo then capitalized on consecutive UP errors — an Irah Jaboneta net touch violation 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 nag-step up ang everyone kahit sino man ipasok sa court,” De Guzman said.
De Guzman fueled the Blue Eagles’ third win of Season 87 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. Miner contributed 19 points on 17 attacks and two blocks, along with 10 excellent digs.
Ateneo’s balanced attack was further strengthened by Pacia (13 points), Chuatico (12 points), and Sulit (11 points), all finishing in double figures.
Setter Taks Fujimoto dished out 26 excellent sets with two points, while starting libero Fiona Arroyo recorded 16 excellent receptions and 10 excellent digs.
The Blue Eagles will aim for their third consecutive win when they face the Lady Falcons next Saturday, March 29, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
On the other hand, Ytang led the Fighting Maroons in the losing effort with 24 points on 19 attacks, four blocks, and one ace. Jaboneta contributed 20 points on 17 attacks, two blocks, and one ace, along with 13 excellent receptions and 10 excellent digs.
Monares tallied 18 points on 15 attacks, two aces, and one block, while also adding eight excellent digs and seven excellent receptions. American middle blocker Kassandra Doering and Olango chipped in 15 and 13 points, respectively.
UP will attempt to regain its winning form against the undefeated National University on Wednesday, March 26, at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
