THE ATENEO Blue Eagles triumphed over the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws in four sets, 20-25, 25-21, 25-21, 25-20, on Sunday, September 3, at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.
The Blue Eagles are now at 1-0 in the inaugural season of the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Men’s Collegiate Conference.
Head coach Oliver Almadro chose to field Karl Baysa, Ron Medalla, Chu Njigha, Ish Polvorosa, Marck Espejo, Gian Glorioso, and John Rivera, with Manuel Sumanguid as the libero.
Multiple errors plagued the Blue Eagles in the first set, with FEU going up early until Rivera’s service ace tied the game (7-7). An exchange of points kept the score tight until an FEU service ace forced Ateneo to call a timeout (14-18). The Tamaraws maintained the upper hand throughout, as Richard Solis nailed the last score to win the first set (20-25).
The second set saw the Blue Eagles trail by a wide margin until a service ace from Espejo changed the tide (6-7), with later heroics then pushing the score further (14-13). In the clear by two points, coach Almadro subbed in service specialist Paulo Trinidad to finish the set, but a persistent FEU called a timeout to disrupt Ateneo’s momentum (22-20). Stalling tactics, however, did not faze the Blue Eagles who went on a run (3-1), including two kill-blocks to end the set (25-21).
The match spiked in intensity during the third set as the Blue Eagles were only able to muster a one-point lead by the first technical timeout (8-7). The score remained close again until a kill-block by Medalla ignited a Blue Eagle scoring run (17-15). Medalla recorded another kill-block later in the set to extend the lead to six (22-16). FEU attempted to spark a comeback, but an attack error from the Tamaraws ended the set in favor of the Blue Eagles (25-21).
Another close set was in store in the fourth, as back-to-back denials from FEU put Ateneo down by the first technical timeout (6-8). The score see-sawed again until Rivera found the corner with an impressive spike, igniting another run for the Blue and White and tying the game (12-12). Further into the set, a combination play fooled three FEU blockers and allowed Espejo to score unopposed, extending the lead to five (20-15).
Ateneo rookie Hermino Labao entered the game later on to replace Medalla who had suffered from mild cramps after an attack error that made it a four-point match (22-18). In the end, the Katipunan-based squad finished strong and claimed the victory as captain Baysa delivered the final blow with an off-the-block kill to end the game (25-20).
Four-time University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Most Valuable Player Espejo recorded 27 points with two service aces and one kill-block. Last season’s UAAP Rookie of the Year Njigha notched eight points and three kill-blocks in his first game as one of the team’s primary middle blockers. Unfortunately, the team recorded a total of 39 errors throughout the four sets.
“We have to find a way, make a way. [With what we have], we have to make the most out of it,” commented coach Almadro on losing three of his starters from last season.
With the departure of veteran middle blockers Rex Intal and Josh Villanueva, coach Almadro also claimed that his new primary middle blockers went “beyond [his] expectations.”
Box Scores
Ateneo
Espejo – 27, Rivera – 11, Medalla – 8, Njigha – 8, Baysa – 5, Glorioso – 5, Polvorosa – 3, Labao – 1
FEU
Solis – 14, Garcia – 14, Paler – 8, Bugaoan – 6, Quiel – 5, Suarez – 1
The Ateneo Blue Eagles defeat FEU in four sets (20-25, 25-21, 25-21, 25-20).
