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Blue Eagles coach tempers Final Four expectations amid momentum
Ateneo Blue Eagles head coach Sergio Veloso is not getting ahead of himself as his team is slowly showing its form in the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball tournament......»»
Botched comeback try vs Ateneo should serve as wake-up call, says UP s Monteverde
There were no consolations for UP head coach Goldwin Monteverde on Sunday as his side suffered their first loss in the UAAP Season 86 men’s basketball tournament, falling to the Ateneo Blue Eagles in overtime, 99-89......»»
Carter in charge of UAAP judo
Philippine Judo Federation secretary-general David Carter has been appointed as commissioner of the UAAP Season 85 judo tournament, which is making its comeback on Saturday and Sunday at the Ateneo Blue Eagle gym along Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City......»»
Baldwin praises Ateneo for competing ‘until the very end’ versus Bay Area pros
Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin invites the Bay Area Dragons to do more tune-ups against other UAAP teams after the Blue Eagles nearly completed a comeback against the PBA's incoming guest squad.....»»
Tolentino misses warmth, love of Ateneo fans
Aside from the adrenaline rush and heart-pounding action, what Kat Tolentino misses the most in the UAAP are the Ateneo de Manila University fans. Considered as arguably the most rabid and hardcore supporters of a team in the country’s premier collegiate league, the Lady Eagles fans, who come from all walks of life and some aren’t even students or alumni of the school, left quite an impression to the Fil-Canadian. “I mean the fans are so supportive, they are so dedicated in supporting Ateneo,” said Tolentino during her appearance in ‘So She Did!’ podcast. Ateneo fans truly are the energizer of the Lady Eagles. They make every arena where Ateneo plays virtually the Lady Eagles’ home court. They form a sea of blue and their presence alone can put chills down the spines of every team Ateneo faces. And when they cheer – or occasionally jeer – they are sure to bring the noise. “For me, I mean just the way that every point is like cheered for, it’s not just like towards the end or the crucial point. It’s just crazy how when you do anything, they’re gonna react, they’re gonna scream or whatever. It doesn’t even matter if you score or whatever,” said Tolentino, who helped Ateneo win its third title overall in Season 81 last year. But aside from that, what Tolentino likes about the Lady Eagles fans the most are their genuine love and loyalty to the team. “I remember my first year I was so shocked, just because after the game, it wasn’t even during the game I got shocked, it was after when we got out to the bus, and there were like hundreds of people outside just waiting,” she said. “Imagine we still took an hour to shower, to get changed and to get all of our stuff. But they were all just waiting there outside, like it’s already getting dark, it’s past dinner time, they were just waiting for us just to say ‘hi’ or just to get an autograph or something” Tolentino added. That encounter according to Tolentino made her realize that the support of the Lady Eagles fans goes beyond the game. It’s intimate. “I’m just thankful for that just because it doesn’t just show that they are trying to watch the game, that’s it. They also want to meet us and they wanna say ‘hi’ so I’m just thankful to experience that,” said Tolentino. Tolentino, who is yet to decide if she will come back one last time to play for Lady Eagles, flew back to Canada after the cancellation of Season 82 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. --- Follow this writer on Twitter, @fromtheriles.....»»
WHAT IF… Bullpups denied Kai, SJ, and Dave a championship?
History lesson: In a single season, Ateneo de Manila High School had 7-foot-2 Kai Sotto, primetime playmaker SJ Belangel, and super scorer Dave Ildefonso alongside versatile forwards Jason Credo and Joaqui Manuel. For sure, that core was good enough to win it all - and did just that in their last year all together in UAAP 80. The Blue Eaglets swept the elimination round and as such, automatically advanced into the Finals. There, they matched up opposite modern-day rival Nazareth School of National University, but after a convincing 86-70 victory in Game 1, the series looked like a mismatch. Only, the Bullpups thought otherwise. In particular, sharpshooter Migs Oczon turned in his best game yet and scored eight of his 17 points in the payoff period to shoot his team to a 70-67 decision. And so, come the winner-take-all Game 3, momentum was, all of a sudden, with the blue and gold. Even more, the lead was actually with National U inside the last five minutes of Game 3. Their six-point lead, though, would not hold as Belangel, Sotto, and Manuel rallied Ateneo to a well-earned 63-58 win. The backbreaker for the Bullpups proved to be the towering teen's putback of Manuel's miss that put his team back ahead with under two minutes left. He did that at the expense of solid rebounders Michael Malonzo and Rhayyan Amsali. But what if they just got that one rebound? If so, the edge would have remained with National U - albeit a one-point edge at that - and they could then build on it at the other end. However, Kai is Kai and there will always be a good to great chance of him making that same play. In that case, the better what if for the boys from Sampaloc is this: what if Terrence Fortea never cooled down? The gunslinger's floater, triple, and assist to Amsali was the backbone of the run that put them on top, 54-48, with 4:18 remaining. From that point, however, Fortea got locked up and was unable to impact the game any further. Of course, he was just 16-years-old during that time - and really, in his first year as one of his side's big guns. At the same time, though, the 5-foot-11 guard had already been playing three seasons for National U at that point. With that, there was also a good to great chance that he would have broken free from the shackles of the Blue Eaglets' defense in the endgame. If so, with Fortea remaining red-hot, National U then completes a comeback from the ages - besting their elimination round-sweeping opponents in three games. Not only would they deny Ateneo a perfect season, they would deny all of Sotto, Belangel, Ildefonso, Credo, and Manuel of a championship altogether. The Bullpups would then head into their title defense even scarier, welcoming Gerry Abadiano, Kevin Quiambao, and Carl Tamayo with open arms. Still, their top gun would, without a doubt, be Fortea. For the Blue Eaglets, Belangel, Credo, Ildefonso, and Manuel fall short of moving on from the Jrs. on the highest of highs and that contending core winds up as an underachiever. For his part, however, Sotto comes back with a vengeance, and may very well have done better than his MVP campaign of 25.1 points, 13.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 2.6 blocks. More than that, the tantalizing talent puts Ateneo his back all the way to a rematch with National U - and the roles would then be reversed. National U is the favorite while Ateneo is the underdog. And then, who knows, it would be Kai Sotto doing a Terrence Fortea. --- Follow this writer on Twitter, @riegogogo......»»
Kat Tolentino: How she ended up as a Lady Eagle
Suffering an injury is a dreadful experience for any athlete. What more if it’s a career-threatening one? Kat Tolentino went through three harrowing knee injuries in a span of three years – two of those she suffered while in Canada. But those misfortunes played a big role in convincing Tolentino to fly to the Philippines and eventually become one of the most recognized names in collegiate volleyball. The Ateneo de Manila University volleyball star in an interview on So She Did podcast shared how she ended up in the Lady Eagles' nest. “It was actually a long story but basically, when I was in Grade 11, my brother was out there in the Philippines already, he was playing basketball for Ateneo and I was just visiting him for vacation,” said Kat, sister of former Blue Eagle Vince. The Ateneo volleyball management that time already knew who the 6-foot-2 spiker was and she was invited to train with the then Roger Gorayeb-mentored Lady Eagles. “I actually don’t even have the shoes at that time or any like knee pads,” she recalled. “So I have to borrow from my cousin and then I borrowed knee pads from the men’s team.” She played with the team but it didn’t convince her to follow the footsteps of her brother, living alone in a tropical country that is thousand of miles away from home. “For me I was in Grade 11 at that time and I didn’t really think like, ‘Oh I want to go to the Philippines’. In fact, I was kind of confused why my brother moved there,” said Tolentino, who is currently back in Canada after the cancellation of the UAAP Season 82 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. “I think, it’s just crazy because at that time, I was getting mad at my mom because I was like, ‘Why are you making me move to the Philippines?’ I was only like Grade 11,” she added. Tolentino that time wasn’t ready to get out of her comfort zone. Naturally, she chose to stay in the Great White North. Tolentino was in University of Canada when she suffered her second left anterior cruciate ligament injury in 2014, a year after her first. “I went to University in Canada for one year and I don’t know if you know that I had three ACL injuries. So the second ACL injury, I was in University in Canada but I just decided after I got the second one in Canada, I needed change and I wanted to experience something different,” she said. Tolentino thought a new environment might change her fortune. Luckily, the Lady Eagles’ door remained open. “Ateneo contacted me when they heard I got injured again,” she said. “They said that they’re still willing to help me and wanted to help me with my rehab and therapy and they had a very good surgeon. So yeah, they just called up and I ended up there.” The hype was high for the Fil-Canadian when she finally got the chance to don the blue and white when the then two-time UAAP champion Ateneo joined the now defunct Shakey’s V-League Collegiate Conference in July 2015. But the injury bug followed her to the Philippines and once again bit Tolentino hard. The hitter suffered a right ACL injury while warming up and had to undergo another operation and months of rehabilitation. She was forced to miss UAAP Season 78 and watched helplessly from the sidelines as archrival De La Salle University dethroned the Lady Eagles. After months of therapy, Tolentino finally made her official debut in the UAAP in Season 79 in 2017 – a victorious welcome over University of Sto. Tomas. Ateneo fell short in the Finals that year. The following season, the Lady Eagles missed the championship entirely for the first time in six years. In Season 81, Tolentino helped Ateneo capture its third title. She announced after winning the crown that she’s leaving the team but decided to make a return for a swan song this year. Unfortunately, the league cancelled the tournament after just four playdates. Asked if she’ll be back for another tour of duty if given the chance, Tolentino admitted that she’s still thinking about it. “I think for me it’s not something I can decide now,” she said. “I would be thankful if they would allow me to go back but I can’t say anything right now.” Looking back, Tolentino would like to think that her second ACL injury brought her to Ateneo. It wasn’t the best of situation to be in to make a life-changing decision but it in the end it turned out just fine. --- Follow this writer on Twitter, @fromtheriles.....»»
Blue Eagles coach happy for being able to stand ground vs UST
Ateneo's tough five-set loss to league leader UST showed the Blue Eagles can go toe-to-toe with the top teams in the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball tourney, head coach Sergio Veloso said......»»
UAAP volleyball Ateneo Blue Eagles beat Adamson Lady Falcons Interactive Network Philippines
UAAP volleyball Ateneo Blue Eagles beat Adamson Lady Falcons Sports Interactive Network Philippines.....»»
Blue Eagles relish morale-boosting win over Lady Falcons
Ateneo’s grind-it-out four-set win over the Adamson Lady Falcons is a big momentum boost for the Lady Eagles, setter Taks Fujimoto said, as they stay within reach of the Final Four......»»
Blue Eagles thwart Lady Falcons
The Ateneo Blue Eagles recovered from a third set meltdown and downed the Adamson Lady Falcons in four sets, 25-19, 25-19, 22-25, 25-23, in the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball tournament Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena......»»
Blue Eagles lose another player as Gab Gomez leaves Ateneo
'It hurts to let you know that my journey as a Blue Eagle ends and I will be moving forward with my basketball journey,' says Gab Gomez as he ends his Ateneo stint.....»»
Poyos powers Golden Tigresses past Blue Eagles
Super rookie Angeline Poyos spearheaded UST’s sweep of the Ateneo Blue Eagles, 25-19, 25-16, 25-19, to aid the Golden Tigresses to their fifth straight win in the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball tournament Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City......»»
Top prospect Jared Bahay claims No. 1 spot anew in NBTC rankings
Incoming Ateneo Blue Eagles rookie Jared Bahay is the first guard to top the National Basketball Training Center (NBTC) rankings for two years in a row......»»
‘Not their time yet’: De Jesus keeps Ateneo respect high amid La Salle 13-game win streak
Legendary La Salle head coach Ramil de Jesus refuses to belittle rival Ateneo despite his Lady Spikers now holding a 13-game, seven-year winning streak against the Blue Eagles.....»»
Lady Spikers extend mastery of Blue Eagles with sweep
The La Salle Lady Spikers swept the Ateneo Blue Eagles, 25-12, 25-22, 25-19, to stretch their win streak over their perennial rivals to 13 games Saturday in the UAAP Season 86 women's volleyball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City......»»
Green Spikers edge Blue Eagles for 2nd straight win
The La Salle Green Spikers held on and broke a valiant stand by the Ateneo Blue Eagles in a five-set affair, 23-25, 25-17, 25-18, 21-25, 15-11, to win their second straight win in the UAAP men’s volleyball tournament Saturday afternoon at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City......»»
Blue Eagles starting to find their groove with 1st UAAP Season 86 win
Following the Ateneo Blue Eagles’ first win in the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball tournament, everything's coming up roses for the Katipunan-based squad, opposite hitter Lyann de Guzman said......»»
Bulldogs vent ire on Blue Eagles in UAAP men’s volleyball
The NU Bulldogs bounced back from a surprising opening-day loss and manhandled the Ateneo Blue Eagles, 25-22, 25-15, 25-17, in the UAAP Season 86 men’s volleyball tournament Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City......»»
Dongallo shines as UE snaps 14-year women s volleyball slump vs Ateneo
Casiey Dongallo had a stellar debut performance in the UAAP, towing the UE Lady Warriors to a historic win over the Ateneo Blue Eagles, 20-25, 25-18, 25-23, 25-18, in the opening game of the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena on Saturday......»»