COMING FROM a nail-biting beatdown of the University of the Philippines (UP), the Ateneo Blue Eagles shut down the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in straight sets (25-11, 25-21, 25-21) in the second round of the Season 80 University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Men’s Volleyball tournament on Saturday, April 7, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Gian Glorioso put on a show with 13 points and five blocks, spearheading the Blue Eagles’ domination. Open spikers Marck Espejo and Ron Medalla scored 15 each, while Manuel Sumanguid connected 12 excellent digs and 20 excellent receives.
Head Coach Oliver Almadro deployed the starting squad of Karl Baysa, Marck Espejo, Polvorosa, Medalla, Gian Glorioso, Chu Njigha, and Manuel Sumanguid as libero. Rookie Jobok Morado took to the court as server specialist in crunch time, and Jasper Tan lent his services as a substitute middle blocker.
Hustling up in the first set, the Blue Eagles stitched together a beautiful symphony of offensive and defensive plays orchestrated by middle blockers Glorioso and Njigha. Landing most of their spikes, Ateneo battered an error-prone UST, earning a blazing 16-3 run by the first technical time-out (TTO). Soon enough, the Blue Eagles nailed the kill and won the set after a UST attack error (25-11).
[1st set] A UST attack error ends the set.
Ateneo 25 UST 11#UAAPVolleyball pic.twitter.com/hYIQHidOGT
— James Gavina (@James_TheGUIDON) April 7, 2018
The Growling Tigers, however, refused to go down without a fight, which turned the second set into a more hotly contested battle. UST gained a slight advantage by the first TTO at (6-8) after some errors from the Blue and White, but Ateneo managed to knot the set at a (16-16) deadlock by second time-out. At the 20-point mark, Glorioso worked wonders in the clutch, putting up a kill block and ending the set with a running spike (25-21).
[2nd set] Glorioso takes set point with a running spike!
Ateneo 25 UST 21#UAAPVolleyball pic.twitter.com/5Fz34uPD5N
— James Gavina (@James_TheGUIDON) April 7, 2018
Fueled with confidence, the Blue and White stayed in the zone going into the third set. A blast of attacks from Medalla and Espejo kept the gears going and brought the score to (8-6) by the first TTO. The Blue and White went on another killing spree with a 9-2 run, but errors, on their part kept the game close at (20-18). This time, Espejo stepped up under the spotlight to bully a few spikes in and ultimately ended the set with a monstrous kill to the center of the court to steal the match at (25-21).
[3rd set] Espejo finished the match with a powerful kill!
Ateneo 25 UST 21#UAAPVolleyball pic.twitter.com/34lC5NjP5H
— James Gavina (@James_TheGUIDON) April 7, 2018
The last time Ateneo faced UST, the Blue Eagles limited high-caliber attacker Umandal, to just nine points. In this match, the Blue Eagles shut him down, keeping his production to only five points all game.
“The intensity and aggressiveness went well for us,” said Ateneo Head Coach Oliver Almadro on the team’s amazing performance. “And I guess my players were just aching to play after two weeks of rest.”
There have been reports that Coach Almadro will soon be heading the Philippine national men’s volleyball team. According to him, nothing is official, but if all is true, the veteran coach is sure to consider call-ups for four-time Most Valuable Player (MVP) Marck Espejo and four-time Best Setter Ish Polvorosa.
“Ateneo is blessed by the lord with the likes of Ish Polvorosa and Marck Espejo.” – Coach Oliver on the possible Ateneans that may make the national team. | @Apa_TheGUIDON #UAAPVolleyball pic.twitter.com/M4lDGPx3yz
— James Gavina (@James_TheGUIDON) April 7, 2018
The next game for the Blue Eagles will be against the University of the East (UE) Red Warriors, on Wednesday, April 11, 8:00 AM, at the FilOil Flying V Center in San Juan City.
Set Scores
Ateneo-UST: 25-11, 25-15, 25-23
Box Score
Ateneo: Espejo – 15, Medalla – 15, Glorioso – 13 , Njigha – 7, Baysa – 3 , Polvorosa – 2
UST: Umandal – 5, Sumagaysay – 4, Medina – 3, Carodan – 3, Arbasto – 3, Buro – 3, Bautista – 2, Tajanlangit – 1, Icalina – 1
