Ateneo, Adamson close 1st round with wins in UAAP men’s volleyball

MANILA, Philippines — Ateneo solidified its hold of the third spot after a 25-19, 20-25, 25-18, 25-15 win over University of Santo Tomas Wednesday in the UAAP season 76 men’s tournament.

The Blue Eagles recovered from a shaky second set to turn back the Tigers and improve to 4-3, behind National University and Far Eastern University, at the close of the first round of action.

Marck Jesus Espejo continued his scoring barrage for Ateneo, this time finishing with 21 to lead all scorers. Neil Patrick Flores added 10.

Despite the loss, the Tigers remained in the middle of the pack with 3-4 card tied with Adamson, which defeated La Salle in the other game.

The Falcons needed four sets to finish off La Salle, 25-19, 25-18, 23-25, 25-23, even with just a seven-man line up.

Skipper Michael Sudaria churned out 19 points, Bryan Saraza had 16, and Karlie Ramirez 13 for Adamson, which got 26 points off the Archers’ errors.

La Salle, meanwhile, dropped further to 2-5.