Ateneo coach Sergio Veloso during a game against Adamson in the UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball tournament.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—Ateneo coach Sergio Veloso gave no alibis following the Blue Eagles’ loss at the hands of Adamson in the UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball tournament on Sunday at Mall of Asia Arena.
The Blue Eagles showed promise in the opening two sets but ultimately fell short at the hands of the Lady Falcons, 25-21, 25-20, 12-25, 15-25, 12-15.
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“We started our first two sets very good but after the third set, the opponents gave us a little pressure but we played the same and stayed at the same level,” admitted the Brazilian coach, who also lost a key cog when Zel Tsunashima went down with a leg injury in the fifth set.
READ: UAAP: Ateneo faces early adversity after Zel Tsunashima injury
“In the last and fifth set, it was a good fight but there’s no excuse. No matter what happens on the court, we need to play better.”
AC Miner did what she could for the Blue Eagles with 18 points in the loss. Yvana Sulit tallied 10 and so did Zel Tsunashima before her freak injury in the fifth set.
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Ateneo had no answer for the Lady Falcons’ prized rookies Shaina Nitura and Frances Mordi, who combined for 56 points.
Nitura fired a rookie record 33 points while Mordi, the foreign student-athlete from Nigeria, also impressed in her UAAP debut with 23 points.
READ: UAAP: Rookie Shaina Nitura shrugs off pressure, dazzles in debut
The Blue Eagles also shot themselves in the foot with 28 errors.
Veloso hopes they can bounce back from a season-opener defeat even with huge roadblocks ahead of them due to the injury bug.
“With this being the first match, we need to use this to be stronger because for now it’s not like our team lost. The opponents won. We need to understand the situation like that.”
Ateneo will have a lot on its plate Wednesday against defending champion National University, which is coming off a sweep of fellow powerhouse La Salle in its own season-opener, at San Juan Arena.
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