THE ATENEO Blue Eagles came away with the win in a five-set nailbiter over the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws, earning the first match in the Final Four series at 18-25, 25-13, 24-26, 25-23, 15-9, on Saturday, April 21, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The Blue Eagles are now only one win away from sealing a spot in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 80 Men’s Volleyball tournament finals.
Marck Espejo proved to be unstoppable, setting a new UAAP record of 55 points through 47 spikes, six blocks, two aces on a 58% spiking success rate. Ish Polvorosa’s 45 excellent sets were a key factor in the Blue Eagles victory, while libero Manuel Sumanguid racked up 21 excellent digs and 16 excellent receives for a critical defensive showing.
Ateneo Head Coach Oliver Almadro started Karl Baysa, Espejo, Polvorosa, Ron Medalla, Gian Glorioso, Chu Njigha, and Sumanguid at libero. Service specialists Jobok Morado and Pau Trinidad were given quality minutes on the court, while John Rivera also made an appearance, replacing Baysa in the first set.
The Tamaraws, who held a twice-to-beat advantage entering the Final Four stage, took an early 6-8 lead by the first technical timeout (TTO). The Blue Eagles struggled to respond to FEU’s relentless attacks and fell to an 11-16 deficit at the second TTO. Relentless offense from FEU and miscues from Ateneo proved to be the Blue Eagles’ downfall, as they ended a late 3-0 run with an attack error by Rivera, conceding the first set at 18-25.
[1st set] Rivera’s attack goes wide and FEU takes the first set.
Ateneo 18 FEU 25#UAAPVolleyball pic.twitter.com/h8M2p8cS8K
— Apa D. Aquino (@Apa_TheGUIDON) April 21, 2018
Espejo caught fire to open the second set, scoring six of Ateneo’s eight points by the first TTO. The Blue and White maintained their momentum and earned a 16-8 lead thanks to an 8-1 run heading into the second TTO. The Blue Eagles flipped the switch on defense to connect blocks on a majority of FEU’s offensive attempts, and a net touch violation by the Tamaraws eventually concluded the second set, 25-13.
[2nd set] Ateneo ties the match after taking the second set following an FEU net touch!
Ateneo 25 FEU 13#UAAPVolleyball
— Apa D. Aquino (@Apa_TheGUIDON) April 21, 2018
The defending champions stayed gritty in the third set, managing to salvage multiple balls with superb floor defense. Ateneo stayed ahead by a slim 8-6 margin entering the first TTO, as errors by the Katipunan-based squad kept the gap narrow at 16-14 by the second TTO. A service error by Espejo surrendered the lead late in the set, allowing FEU to pull ahead 22-23, and a block by Peter Quiel and Owen Suarez on Rivera finally granted the Tamaraws the set, 24-26.
[3rd set] Quiel denies Rivera to take the set! FEU leads the match two sets to one.
Ateneo 24 FEU 26#UAAPVolleyball
— Apa D. Aquino (@Apa_TheGUIDON) April 21, 2018
Espejo continued to play the hero in the fourth set, leading the charge to keep FEU within striking distance at 7-8 by the first TTO. The Blue and White sparked a 5-0 run to take a 16-13 lead and looked to shake the Tamaraws off their backs to tie the match. FEU cut the deficit to 22-20, following a net touch violation on Polvorosa, who was shown a yellow card for protesting the call. Espejo, however, changed the tide and scored Ateneo’s 19th spike of the set to claim set point, 25-23.
[4th set] Espejo extends the match after slamming a strong spike on FEU!
Ateneo 25 FEU 23#UAAPVolleyball
— Apa D. Aquino (@Apa_TheGUIDON) April 21, 2018
Looking to keep his team in the run for the crown, Espejo scored a majority of Ateneo’s points in a tense final set. Espejo landed a service ace that extended the Blue Eagles lead to 7-4 and later nailed a swipe off the block to force a timeout at 11-8. Espejo then notched a record-breaking 55th point with a kill off the block to take match point at 15-9, allowing the Blue Eagles to fight another day.
“Iniisip ko, kapag binigay sa akin yung bola, kailangan ko pumuntos (I think that whenever the ball is given to me, I need to score),” commented Espejo when asked about his legendary performance.
Ateneo will face the Tamaraws again in a do-or-die for a spot in the finals on Wednesday, April 25 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Set Scores
Ateneo-FEU: 18-25, 25-13, 24-26, 25-23, 15-9
Box Scores
Ateneo: Espejo – 55, Rivera – 8, Glorioso – 6, Njigha – 5, Medalla – 5, Polvorosa – 2, Baysa – 1
FEU: Garcia – 15, Bugaoan – 15, Paler – 12, Quiel – 8, Suarez – 7, Solis – 5
