Article by Lianna Roc

The Ateneo Boys’ Volleyball Team (ABVT) capped their tumultuous season against fabled rivals De La Salle-Zobel (DLSZ), falling short of the win with the scores 25-16, 25-19, 25-22, at the Paco Arena on Sunday, November 24, 2024.

Going into the final UAAP match of the season, the team was determined to give their best effort, entering the match with an ‘all or nothing,’ mindset.

“Since ito na ‘yung last UAAP game na natin, wala na tayong dapat katakutan… Kung ano ‘yung pina-practice natin, let’s just bring it to the game—since ‘yun ‘yung kaya natin,” said team captain Ken Nicolas in his message to the team before their match.

Although the first set did not go their way, the Blue Eagles quickly regained their fighting spirit and blitzed towards an 11-5 start in the second frame. The Archers, however, refused to back down, cutting the lead to as low as 2 points at 17-15 in the latter half.

Unfortunately, a series of crucial errors as well as timely attacks by the Archers caused the boys in blue to lose sight of the lead, dropping the set to go 0-2 in the match. Meanwhile, the third and final frame saw a similar story unfold, eventually ending with a straight set defeat for the ABVT. 

This final defeat signaled the end of the Eagles’ road for Season 87, finishing their campaign with a 2-12 win-loss slate. 

With the loss, the team bids farewell to their graduating seniors, especially team captain Ken Nicolas and co-captain Diego Avila.

Asked about his sentiments after playing his final game in the UAAP Juniors Division, Nicolas said: “Syempre, sobrang thankful sa coaches ko, sa teammates—may hardships man, mas marami pa rin ‘yung memorable times.

On the other hand, Avila, reminiscing on his time with the team, believes that they can still soar to greater heights despite the tough season. 

“I’m sure na the other players sa team namin will step up since marami naman sila… I’m confident in them,” he emphasized.

Student manager Rafael Pajarillo also added that the team was showing good progress and continually improving their performance across their games. “Even if there was some miscommunication kanina, they showed a good strength of teamwork [throughout the match].”

Coach Raymund ‘Babes’ Castillo, mentor of both the girls’ and boys’ volleyball team, further highlighted that while they are yet to establish a ‘winning culture,’ the team continues to strengthen themselves and improve their skills through their daily training. 

“We’re willing to work on it [winning culture], we’re setting the foundations… But they’re young—[unlike] most teams, like La Salle, they’ve been together for around three years; some [of us] only joined three months ago, or a year ago… Maturity, you cannot speed it up; talagang kailangan lang nilang daanan.”

With this, the Blue Eagles will continue to train harder with the hopes of fostering a winning culture in the team in the future. 

Finally, although the UAAP season has come to a close for the ABVT, the team still encourages the Ateneo community to continue supporting them in their upcoming tournaments, such as the upcoming Prada and Paya tournament and in the Jesuit Athletic Meet.