Ateneo struggles in opening vs UST

Ateneo 0, UST 3
[20-25, 16-25, 17-25]

It looked like the Ateneo Seniors Volleyball team were playing against a wall that took the form of the University yof Sto. Tomas Growling Tigers in their opening game of UAAP Season 73 on November 27 at the San Juan Arena.

The Blue Eagles suffered a 0-3 loss in the hands of the defending champions, with sets that went 20-25, 16-25, 17-25.

Weak on the receiving end, Ateneo struggled to set plays and attack the Tigers. Service errors left the Eagles playing catch up for majority of the match.

The Tigers found creases in the Eagles’ defense to establish a lead early in the game. Mike de Joya and Neil Flores blocked a UST attack to bring Ateneo to only a point behind, 15-16. But UST regrouped, emerged from a time out, and capitalized on miscues on the blue side.

Ateneo threatened to win a set as UST started to show signs of fatigue and gave the Eagles points via service errors in the second.

After the game Coach Boyet Del Moro, who is on his first year with the Eagles, asked his team to communicate more on the floor and “enjoy the game para mawala yung nerbyos.”

He told his boys that this was only the beginning and they had a long way to go.

The journey continues for the Eagles as they battle National University on Wednesday, December 1, 9AM at the San Juan Arena.