University of the Philippines opened the second round of elimination with a straight set loss against the Ateneo Blue Eagles, 16-25, 18-25, 21-25, Saturday afternoon at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
After the lopsided first two sets, UP tried to keep it close in the third frame, even grabbing the lead against Ateneo at 12-11. However, the Blue Eagles made it tough for the Fighting Maroons to gain momentum, and went on a 6-2 run to establish a 3-point lead at 17-14. Despite UP’s numerous attempts to stage a comeback, Ateneo always had an answer and pulled away towards the end to secure their victory.
In the losing effort, outside hitter Tommy Castrodes continued to be a bright spot for the Fighting Maroons, scoring 10 points from nine attacks and a kill block, and was a steady receiver, delivering 12 excellent receptions at 52% efficiency. Veteran middle blocker Dan Nicolas also tallied 10 points from 8 points and 2 kill blocks.
Ateneo’s opposite hitter Amil Pacinio was named player of the match, after tallying 17 points from 12 attacks, two kill blocks, and three service aces. Outside spiker Ken Batas meanwhile contributed 14 points from 13 attacks and a service ace.
Ateneo, who recovered from a defeat against their archrivals La Salle during their previous game, now has a 5-3 win-loss record, and will try to make it back-to-back when they face the Adamson Soaring Falcons on Saturday, March 20, at 11 AM at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
UP, on the other hand, has a 2-6 win-loss record, and are tied with the Adamson Soaring Falcons at the sixth-seventh spot, after the latter’s five set victory over the still winless UE Red Warriors. They will try to snatch a win against the defending champions NU Bulldogs on Wednesday, March 26, at 9 AM, at the Filoil Ecooil Centre in San Juan City.
This UP Fighting Maroons Club post is made in partnership with Jiang Nan Hotpot.
