In line with the ongoing University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 80 Men’s Volleyball tournament, this weekly series will analyze the state of the Ateneo Blue Eagles in their bid to win their fourth consecutive championship.
Recap of the week:
COMING OFF a seven-game winning streak in the first round, the Ateneo Blue Eagles defeated the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers in four sets, 25-18, 19-25, 25-17, 25-17, on Wednesday, March 7, at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City. A lack of intensity surrendered the second set as the team began to relax after a strong performance in the first set. The Katipunan-based squad was able to take the latter two sets in dominant fashion thanks to La Salle’s costly errors and unanswered scoring runs.
Ron Medalla was the player of the game in Ateneo’s close win versus the Adamson University (AdU) Soaring Falcons in straight sets, 25-19, 26-24, 25-22, on Wednesday, March 14, at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City. The Soaring Falcons almost stole the second set off a 7-2 scoring run, but the defending champions were able to score three consecutive points off a timeout, with Medalla taking set point with a service ace.
1. Polvorosa continues to improve his numbers
Fifth-year player and four-time UAAP Best Setter Ish Polvorosa has set himself far above the competition in the best setter category, averaging 11 excellent sets for the past two games. The setter has collected a season total of 344 excellent sets, well ahead of Kim Dayandante of National University (NU), who has so far tallied 278.
Polvorosa’s performance against DLSU was especially impressive, considering that 50.1% of all of his sets were recorded as running sets (another name for excellent sets), while the opposing team was limited to just three kill blocks. His playmaking ability ensured that DLSU’s blockers were constantly chasing the ball, giving them an even harder time stopping Ateneo’s spikes at the net, as the Blue Eagles scored on 50 of 125 spike attempts.
2. Better production from wing spikers
The first round was headlined primarily by four-time Most Valuable Player (MVP) Marck Espejo, who averaged 21.43 points per game in the first round. Espejo has been the most productive player on the floor, leading scoring every game while the other wing spikers have struggled to keep up.
After being given the starting nod for the season, Ron Medalla has been inconsistent so far, ranking 23rd among the league’s top scorers with 58 points in the first round. After two games in the second round, Medalla now ranks 19th with a total of 75, above his teammates Chu Njigha at 22nd and Gian Glorioso at 25th.
Captain and defensive specialist Karl Baysa has averaged ten points in the past two games and has jumped in the scoring standings from 36th in the first round, to 30th in the second round, with his scoring totals at 39 and 59, respectively.
He has also scored a total of 20 points in the last two games, which has improved his ranking on the top scorers table from 36th place in the first round to 30th place with a total of 59 points.
3. Superb blocking in the past two games
For the season, the Blue Eagles have averaged 2.55 blocks per set. The past two games, however, have seen a steady increase, bumping the the average up to 3.14 blocks per set for a total of 22. This explosion of kill blocks has allowed Ateneo to leapfrog La Salle on the blocking rankings, as Ateneo only averaged 2.38 kill blocks per set for the first round.
In the past two games, Ateneo’s opponents have averaged a 35.2% spiking success rate, compared to Ateneo’s percentage at 40.5%. This goes to show how well the Blue Eagles have been performing in terms of net defense to begin the second round.
Upcoming games
Saturday, March 17, 10:00 AM vs Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws (6-2) at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.
Saturday, March 24, 10:00 AM vs University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons (3-5) at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.
Before this season, Ateneo’s last straight set loss was to the University of Sto. Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers way back in Season 77. FEU’s three-set win over the defending champions in the first round was an important wake up call, inciting the team to replicate the dominance they achieved in Season 79.
