The University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons opened their #UAAPSeason87 second-round campaign filled with heartbreaks as both the men’s and women’s teams suffered losses against the Ateneo de Manila University.
The men’s team now holds a 2-6 win-loss record, while the women’s team slid to a 3-5 standing.
Hounded by reception woes
The UP Men’s Volleyball Team (MVT) got off on the wrong foot as they succumbed to the Ateneo Blue Eagles in straight sets, 16-25, 18-25, 21-25, last Saturday, March 22, at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The sorry loss came less than a week after the maroon shirts pulled off a four-set stunner against the Adamson Soaring Falcons.
This time around, it was the feathery foes from Katipunan who soared for the win, banking on a strong service game to disrupt the maroon shirts’ offensive rhythm.
Although the Fighting Maroons finished with an impressive 49% reception rate, the team visibly struggled in the first two sets as Amil Pacinio, Karl Reyes and Jian Salarzon fired one heavy serve after another for a combined seven aces.
With Gelay Lagando unable to score when out of system, UP MVT head coach Carlo Cabatingan injected lefty opposite hitter Kobe Aca-ac into the starting unit in hopes of finding a spark plug.
The Fighting Maroons led early in the third frame as Olayemi Raheem went for a crosscourt kill at the 9-7 mark, but the Blue Eagles quickly leveled the match with back-to-back hits from Salarzon and Brian Castro.
Both teams exchanged points in the next sequences before the Eagles began pulling away by as much as three points after the second technical timeout.
Salarzon swung from the pipe to establish the set’s biggest lead at four and bring Ateneo to match point. A service error from Kennedy Batas gave UP a short lifeline before Reyes drove the final nail to the coffin with an off-the-block hit.
After posting a rare triple-double against Adamson, Tommy Castrodes paced the maroon shirts once more with 10 points and 12 excellent receptions.
Daniel Nicolas also breached double-digit scoring with 10 points from eight attacks and two blocks, while the rest of the maroon shirts combined for a measly 18 markers.
Rookie libero Justine Sotto anchored the team’s floor defense, with eight receptions, two digs and an assist.
On the other hand, Pacinio churned out 17 points to lead Ateneo to their fifth win of the season.
Crunch time mishaps
The UP Women’s Volleyball Team (WVT) fell short of a late-game comeback in their five-set thriller against the Ateneo Lady Eagles, 25-15, 23-25, 25-27, 32-30, 14-16, on March 22 at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The Fighting Maroons went blow-for-blow against the Lady Eagles with both teams having similar offensive outputs, however, it was Ateneo’s 40 excellent receptions that edged out UP who only had 31.
A win against their Katipunan rival remains elusive for the Maroons whose losing streak against Ateneo now extends to 11, dating back to Season 81.
UP WVT opened the game strong with a Kasey Doering quick drop to seal a commanding 25-15 win at the opening frame.
Despite an early offensive outburst from Joan Monares and Irah Jaboneta giving the Maroons a 18-16 lead at the second set, Ateneo’s pesky defense overturned UP’s advances to even out the game, 23-25.
It was a back-and-forth affair in the third salvo as both Katipunan-based squads launched consecutive attacks, eventually bringing the set into extended play.
Ateneo’s net and floor defense, however, proved to be steadier as they forced State U’s spikers to commit errors down the stretch and bury them in a 1-2 set disadvantage.
With their backs against the walls, it was Doering and Niña Ytang who answered the call as they scored a combined total of 6 of UP’s final 8 points throughout the fourth-salvo deuce, 32-30, to force the decider.
The Maroons hit a major roadblock in the fifth set as they failed to capitalize off a 14-12 match point opportunity as the Lady Eagles squeaked past the defense to go on a 3-0 scoring run, stealing the lead.
With Ateneo on the cusp of victory, State U faced another hurdle as the hot-handed Jaboneta had to leave the game due to cramps.
UP’s hopes to push another deadlock were washed away as Yvana Sulit’s low serve forced a misreceive, acing the game 14-16 for Ateneo.
Jaboneta powered the Fighting Maroons through as she recorded a triple-double with 20 points, 13 receptions, and 10 digs while Ytang led the team in scoring with 24 markers.
Libero Giesha Capristrano fortified State U’s defense, registering 26 digs and 11 receptions.
Meanwhile, Lyann de Guzman led the Blue Eagles as she hit a game-high 25 points to go with 14 digs and 17 receptions.
State U, in the longest game of the #UAAPSeason87 at two hours and 53 minutes, absorbed its first loss in a full set match after previously defeating the UE Lady Warriors and the Adamson Soaring Falcons.
UP will battle defending champions National University on March 26 at the FilOil EcoOil Centre, with the MVT seeking their third win at 9 a.m. while the WVT hunts for their fourth victory at 11 a.m.
