UAAP: Green Spikers lose to Ateneo in straight sets, fall out of Final Four race

The DLSU Green Spikers suffered a tough straight-set loss at the hands of defending champions Ateneo Blue Eagles, 25-14, 25-20, 25-21, earlier today at the FilOil Flying V Arena. With the loss, La Salle drops to 4-8 and are officially out of Final Four contention this season.

Cris Dumago led La Salle scoring with 11 points on seven attacks, three blocks, and a service ace. Team captain Raymark Woo and veteran Arjay Onia also contributed five points each. ADMU libero Manuel Sumanguid was named the Player of the Game after finishing with eight excellent digs and 20 excellent receptions. Marck Espejo and Joshua Villanueva finished with 11 points each to lead Ateneo, while Rex Intal ended the game with 10 points of his own.

Dumago opened the scoring in the first set with a smart play. However, Ateneo was swift to answer back with a quick attack from Villanueva. Both teams stayed at pace with one another, but errors haunted the Green Spikers midway through the set, giving the Blue Eagles a chance to pull away. Ateneo kept their lead throughout the set, which ended when a serve from Onia went out, giving the set to the Blue Eagles at 25-14.

In the second set, the two teams continued to trade points with one another. At 14-all, the Blue Eagles broke away as they went on a 7-1 run to take a 21-15 lead. La Salle tried to close the gap but Ateneo reached set point before they could catch up. Another La Salle service error, this time from Woo, ended the set at 25-20, in favor of Ateneo.

Similar to the previous set, the third set started with a tight battle between the two teams as they performed various plays to try to get ahead of each other. At 4-all, ADMU pulled away with a 5-1 run to give themselves a four-point advantage, 9-5. After that, the set progressed with the Green Spikers trailing behind Ateneo, unable to reach any breakpoints. An uncontested quick from Gian Carlo Glorioso ended the third and final set in favor of Ateneo, 25-21.

The Blue Eagles outperformed La Salle with 37 attacks, 11 blocks, and four aces, while DLSU made 21 attacks, five blocks, and just one ace. On the other hand, the Green Spikers committed less unforced errors, incurring only 23 as opposed to ADMU’s 28 errors.

The Green Spikers will return to the same venue on Wednesday, April 6, when they take on the NU Bulldogs at 8 am.