In line with the ongoing University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) 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
RON MEDALLA has been on fire in Ateneo’s recent stretch of games, posting a total of 34 points across two matches. Amidst rumors of the appointment of Oliver Almadro as National Team Coach, the Blue Eagles shut down the offense of the University of Sto. Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers in their straight set win, limiting UST to just 18 spikes for a 25-11, 25-21, 25-21 finish.
“There are talks but no official appointment yet.” – Coach Oliver Almadro on his rumored appointment as the national team coach. | @Apa_TheGUIDON #UAAPVolleyball pic.twitter.com/7f6hrLH8ql
— James Gavina (@James_TheGUIDON) April 7, 2018
In a dominant straight-set win over the University of the East (UE) Red Warriors, 25-18, 25-22, 25-17, Medalla scored a career-high 19 points, leading the team in spike attempts with a total of 39. Ish Polvorosa put up impressive numbers as well, crafting 35 excellent sets.
[3rd set] Medalla’s cross court wins the match for the Blue Eagles!
Ateneo 25 UE 17#UAAPVolleyball pic.twitter.com/CmeF3Ai97l
— Apa D. Aquino (@Apa_TheGUIDON) April 11, 2018
Upcoming game
Sunday, April 15, 10:00 AM vs. National University (NU) Bulldogs (11-2) at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
1. Final Four picture
In the current UAAP Final Four format, any situation where teams have identical records is usually resolved through the points system. Interestingly, one exception to this rule is that a team cannot lose its twice-to-beat advantage through the points system. Hence, if second and third-placed teams have identical records, these two teams must have a play-off for the twice-to-beat advantage in the semi-finals.
As of the time of writing, Far Eastern University (FEU), NU, and Ateneo are all tied atop the standings with identical 11-2 records, while Adamson University (AdU) and UST are tied at 6-8. The Soaring Falcons and the Growling Tigers are assured a play-off game, but a win by the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers on Sunday against FEU will force a three-way tie for the fourth spot.
According to Mark Escarlote from ABS-CBN Sports, “In this scenario, the two teams with the lowest earned match points will figure in a do-or-die match where the winner will face the team with the superior match points in another playoff for the semis No. 4 seed.”
The fight for the fourth seed is important for Ateneo because any win against NU assures the Blue Eagles the first seed, where they will face one of three possible teams in the semi-finals. If they lose their game and FEU wins theirs against La Salle, Ateneo falls to third while FEU and NU remain above them. A loss by both teams will mean both have to play off for the twice-to-beat advantage.
2. Putting a muzzle on the Bulldogs
In the first round, Marck Espejo’s 24-point performance defeated NU in four sets, 26-24, 25-21, 17-25, 25-19. Service was Ateneo’s most effective weapon, as they won the first set via magic from service specialist Pau Trinidad. Trinidad notched an ace that allowed Ateneo to take a 24-34 lead, disrupting NU’s offense all game with bombs from the service line.
[1st set] Trinidad service ace!
Ateneo 24 NU 23#UAAPVolleyball
— Apa D. Aquino (@Apa_TheGUIDON) February 7, 2018
The defending champions currently lead the league in service aces per set with an average of 1.39, which is a promising statistic, considering that NU is the second-worst team in receiving with an excellent reception rate of 43.47%. Their percentage sat at 44% in their previous game with Ateneo, who finished the match at 58.75%.
Serving will be the key to stopping NU’s offense, which is the best in the league at a spiking efficiency rate of 43.47%. Service specialists Trinidad and Jobok Morado will be an important factor in boosting Ateneo’s service through their more-than-effective floaters. Espejo’s powerful jump serves will also be important, as his tally of 21 service aces puts him first in the best servers category.
3. Marck Espejo’s MVP season
Espejo has been granted the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award since his rookie year, and it comes to no one’s surprise that Espejo is once again is the frontrunner in his final year. One of his accolades this season was a career-high 39 points against FEU, which tied the single-game scoring record set by DLSU’s Raymark Woo in the men’s division.
The four-time MVP currently leads the league in three statistical categories and is ranked among the top ten in two others. Espejo has racked up a total of 294 points to fly to top spot on the scoring bracket, proving as well to be the most efficient spiker in the league with a success rate of 51.03% in comparison to a 35.74% league average. The phenom leads the league with 21 service aces, but also leads the league with 45 service faults as a high-risk-high-reward weapon on the floor.
Espejo additionally dominates on the defensive end, leading all non-liberos in receiving with an efficiency rate of 59.29% compared to a 50.75% league average. Net defense is another one of his strong suits, as Espejo has averaged 0.57 kill blocks per set, which is the most among all players that are not middle blockers.
The Katipunan-based squad are one win away from clinching the top spot in the standings and will be looking to avoid a semifinal set-up with the FEU squad that bested them twice. If Espejo keeps up his performance and if serving continues to disrupt NU’s offense, the Blue Eagles have a good shot at the first seed.
