De La Salle University needed four sets to dispose of Ateneo de Manila, 25-22, 22-25, 25-17, 25-17, on Saturday in the V-League Collegiate Challenge at the Paco Arena Sports and Events Center in Manila.

The Green Spikers, now at 6-0, will face the current No. 2 team, the University of Santo Tomas (UST), on 1 October for a possible top seed in the semifinals.

It took one hour and 45 minutes for the Taft-based squad to subdue the Blue Eagles, relying on both on their offense and defense and spoiling the return of Ken Batas for Ateneo.

Eugene Gloria delivered another solid performance with 21 points built on 19 attacks, while Chris Hernandez added 14 points and 13 excellent receptions.

Still, it was the defensive brilliance of second-year libero Sherwin Retiro that proved pivotal, tallying 12 digs and 13 excellent receptions to keep the Green Spikers in control.

“As I have said, we just can’t any team for granted. I know that Ateneo will be eager to beat us. Just told the players that we stick to the system and pace ourselves. We are not rushing things,” said La Salle head coach Jose Roque.

Cameroonian middle blocker Issa Ousseini was held to nine points, but the balanced attack orchestrated by NJ Bangit, who dished out 16 excellent sets, was enough to keep La Salle unscathed after six matches.

The showdown between De La Salle and UST is set for 1 October at 5 p.m. at the same Paco venue, following the league’s break to give way to the country’s hosting of the 2025 FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championship starting 12 September.

“All the teams are strong. We can’t afford to relax and be overconfident,” he added.

“If UST is next, we will train and prepare hard but we will focus on how we work as a team because it won’t matter if we can’t work as a team,” said Roque of the looking showdown with the Golden Spikers.

For Ateneo, Amil Pacinio spearheaded the charge with 21 points on 20 attacks and one service ace, while captain Jian Salarzon chipped in 13 points, four digs, and 13 excellent receptions. Batas, fresh from national team duty, provided four points off the bench.

Ateneo (3-3) will try to keep its semifinal hopes alive when it meets winless Arellano University (0-6) on Sunday at 3 p.m.