In line with the ongoing University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Women’s Volleyball tournament, this weekly series will analyze the state of the Ateneo Lady Eagles in their journey to reclaim the volleyball crown.
Recap of the week:
THE ATENEO Lady Eagles pulled off an unprecedented comeback against top teams in the second round with a new change to their lineup. On Wednesday, March 7 at the FilOil Flying V Centre, the Blue and White began the second half of the season with a straight set win over the Far Eastern University (FEU) Lady Tamaraws, 25-19, 25-21, 25-17. Ponggay Gaston’s new assignment as libero allowed the Lady Eagles to limit FEU to just three service aces, compared to their 20 service aces in their five-set win over Ateneo in the first round.
IN PHOTOS: The Lady Eagles were dominant in today’s straight-set victory over FEU (25-19, 25-21, 25-17). #UAAPVolleyball https://t.co/bjNeUXCR7I pic.twitter.com/xq32zpOgoe
— The GUIDON Sports (@TheGUIDONSports) March 7, 2018
The Katipunan-based squad then went on to dominate the National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs, utilizing stellar serving and blocking to clinch a 25-22, 25-16, 25-17 game. In similar fashion to the previous game, the Lady Eagles kept NU to just three aces after surrendering 13 in their previous matchup. Across the two games, the Lady Eagles averaged 7.3 excellent receives, improving from a 6.4 average in their two first round matches.
FINAL: Ateneo defeats NU in straight sets. Madayag racked up 6 aces.
(25-22, 25-16, 25-17)#UAAPVolleyball pic.twitter.com/L77TkkaVdW
— The GUIDON Sports (@TheGUIDONSports) March 17, 2018
Upcoming games
Wednesday, March 21, 2:00 PM vs. University of the East (UE) Lady Warriors (2-7) at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.
Sunday, March 25, 4:00 PM vs. Adamson University (AdU) Lady Falcons (4-5) at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
1. The first ball and combination plays
Combination plays are a staple of every good offense. The availability of multiple spikers for a spike is an effective way to fool blockers into paying attention to the wrong attacker. The use of combination plays is important to the Lady Eagles’ offense because every player has the ability to score consistently. However, putting the setter out of position with a bad receive can halt a combination play as the setter will be forced to chase the ball.
In the game against NU, the Lady Eagles were able to capitalize on the Lady Bulldogs’ weakness on service reception by constantly winning back the serve through the use of combination plays off excellent receives. Scoring off the opposition’s serves requires good service reception and an overall potent offense.
2. The revelation of Ponggay Gaston
A middle blocker in high school, wing spiker in college, and now a libero for the Lady Eagles, Ponggay Gaston’s versatility has made her a key asset for the Blue and White. Gaston has taken up the role left by injured rookie libero Dani Ravena, who was utilized for service reception.
Despite the transition, Gaston has adjusted well to her new role on the court.“I’m just focused on doing one job,” she admits.
Sharing duty with Lo in handling defense against the opponent’s spikes, Gaston no longer has to worry about jumping or spiking because her mind is set solely on picking up opposition serves.
In the past two games, Gaston has appeared on the stat sheet for receiving after recording 7/18 excellent receives against FEU and 6/15 excellent receives against NU. Playing Gaston against FEU, the second top-ranked serving team in the league, was a big risk, but judging from the team’s results in the second round, the risk seems to have paid off.
3. Second round improvements
The team’s overall sentiment has been to take what they learned from the first round and use it to bounce back in the second. “We need to wake up and realize what we did wrong in the first round,” commented Gaston.
“It was the receive that got us organized since it’s the first line [of defense],” said veteran Bea De Leon, commenting on what made the difference between the first and the second round.
At the end of the first round, the Lady Eagles’ three losses came at the hands of the top three teams in the league. Now with straight set wins against FEU and NU, the number one spiking team in the UAAP, the Ateneo Lady Eagles have the momentum to easily make it back to the final four.
The Lady Eagles have a somewhat light schedule ahead of them, as they will be facing four teams that are in the bottom half of the league standings. With the current trend, the Lady Eagles’ main challenge will be the De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Archers, who currently lead the league in serving, but with Gaston patching the hole on defense, their second round match-up will be one to watch.
