Ateneo’s Jian Salarzon in the V-League. Photo from V-League
MANILA, Philippines-Ateneo secured its first win while dealing Emilio Aguinaldo College its second straight loss in the men’s V-League Collegiate Challenge despite a first set hiccup, 23-25, 25-22, 25-19, 25-16, at Paco Arena on Sunday.
Jian Salarzon led the Blue Eagles with 18 points on four blocks and 3 aces while Ken Batas and Amil Pacinio Jr. chipped in 13 points each.
The Blue Eagles gained momentum in the second set after the Generals clinched the first which Ateneo coach Tim Sto. Tomas faulted on first-game jitters.
“They were still feeling each other out,” Sto. Tomas said. “But we’re thankful that happened because it was a wake-up call that they can’t just relax during the game.”
“Eventually they would need to talk about how to address problems or the issues happening inside the court,” he added.
Ateneo Blue Eagles. V-LEAGUE PHOTO
Ervin Osabel contributed 14 points in the Generals’ losing stand with Bryan Cabrera and Jerimaih Salonga scoring 11 and 10 points, respectively.
The Blue Eagles came away with the victory despite 36 huge errors.
“Their smiles might go away after I show them the stats sheet because we had a lot of errors,” Sto. Tomas said to reporters after their four-set win.
But the Ateneo coach is hopeful that the Blue Eagles will still improve on their next games even praising his players from the bench.
Ateneo will be hoping to add to its strong start as they face San Beda at 2 p.m. on Wednesday. while Emilio Aguinaldo will have four days to fix their act before facing National University on Aug. 25.