The Ateneo team secures the final playoff position in the Super League.
At the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila, the Shakey’s Super League Collegiate Pre-Season Championship elimination round came to an end over the weekend, with ATENEO de Manila University securing the final playoff spot by sweeping Emilio Aguinaldo College with a 25-13, 25-20, 25-16 win.
Faye Sophia Nisperos, the sister of former Ateneo standout Faith, scored seven points to lead a well-rounded effort as the Blue Eagles ended with a record of 2-1 to secure the second spot in Pool D. The top spot in the pool was claimed by Far Eastern University (FEU) with a perfect record of 3-0.
Ateneo lost to FEU in their recent match despite initially having a two-set advantage. However, they quickly recovered with Sophia Beatriz Buena, Jennifer Delos Santos, and AC Miner each contributing six points.
Despite only scoring five points, veteran spiker and top scorer Lyann De Guzman was unable to stop the Blue Eagles from winning against the Lady Generals in just 79 minutes. This victory was achieved under the guidance of new coach Sergio Veloso.
According to Mr. Veloso, who is also the coach of the Philippine men’s volleyball team, it is a significant victory, but the top priority is for our players to adhere to the new system. They have been performing well within the system thus far.
Ateneo, the current Pool A champion and leader, will be joined by Arellano University from Pool B and University of Santo Tomas from Pool C in the newly formed Pool E for the carryover playoffs. This pool will consist of the top two teams from each group.
In the latest round of the 16-team SSL, supported by Mikasa, Eurotel, Victory Liner, Summit Bottle Water, Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken, R and B Milk Tea, Potato Corner, Rebel Sports, Converge ICT Solutions, Genius Sports, and United Auctioneers, Inc., National University (NU) and Adamson University both secured easy victories over Jose Rizal University (JRU) and San Beda University. This concludes the elimination round.
NU dominated Pool A by winning all three sets against JRU with scores of 25-11, 25-12, and 25-11. Meanwhile, Adamson claimed the top spot in Pool B after defeating San Beda with scores of 25-14, 25-10, and 25-17.
The Lady Falcons, who placed third in SSL Season 1 and second in the SSL National Invitationals, will compete against the University of the East from Pool A, the College of St. Benilde from Pool C, and FEU from Pool D in the newly formed Pool F.
The remaining teams will compete in a round-robin format within their respective groups to determine their rankings for the crossover quarterfinals. The quarterfinals will follow a knockout format until the semifinals, with the final series being a best-of-three.