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 LADY Eagles eked out a five set come me from behind victory against the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Golden Tigresses 25-22, 20-25, 16-25 25-17, 15-9, on Wednesday, April 4. UST looked to have the match as they led 2-1 coming into the fourth set, but the Lady Eagles showed off their “Heart Strong” mantra with dominant performances in the last two sets.
[5th Set] AND THAT’S IT! Tolentino’s ace claims the set and match for the Lady Eagles!
Ateneo 15 UST 9#UAAPVolleyball pic.twitter.com/BYvi7x3y5T
— Jason R. Santos (@Jason_TheGUIDON) April 4, 2018
They followed this up with a surprising straight-set loss, 26-28, 23-25, 24-26, to the University of the Philippines (UP) Lady Maroons who are out of contention for the Final Four.
The Lady Eagles dropped the match despite leading 21-16 in the second set, and held a 21-15 advantage in the third set.
This defeat serves as a wake-up call for the Blue and White as they will be facing a strong De La Salle squad in their bid to secure a twice-to-beat advantage in the semi-finals.
[3rd set] Carlos ends the match with a kill off the block.
Ateneo 24 UP 26#UAAPVolleyball pic.twitter.com/XRl92mpZjB
— James Gavina (@James_TheGUIDON) April 7, 2018
Upcoming game
Sunday, April 15, 4:00 PM vs. De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Spikers (11-2) at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
1. Final Four picture
In the current UAAP Final Four format, situations regarding teams having identical records are 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 2nd and 3rd have identical records, these two teams must have a play-off for the twice-to-beat in the semi-finals.
With their current record of 9-4, the Katipunan-based squad are assured at least the third seed and can go as high as second if Sunday’s results roll the right way. However, the Lady Tamaraws, who share the same record as the Lady Eagles, are also in the same exact situation.
DLSU is assured of the top seed thanks to their 11-2 record while 7-6 National University (NU) will remain stuck at fourth no matter the outcome of their match against Far Eastern University (FEU) on Sunday, April 15. Hence, Ateneo and FEU are locked to face each other in the semi-finals with both teams at 9-4, however, the question remains as to which team will take the twice-to-beat advantage.
If the Lady Eagles and the Lady Tamaraws both win or both lose their respective games on Sunday, then the elimination round will end with the two teams still holding identical records. This would force a play-off for second place, a “virtual best-of-three.” If one team wins and the other loses, the winning team will automatically take second place and be assured of the all-important twice-to-beat advantage. The ideal scenario for Ateneo would be that they defeat the Lady Archers while NU wins over FEU. Should this happen, the Lady Eagles will hold the twice-to-beat advantage against FEU in the semi-finals.
2. What the Lady Eagles need to do to beat La Salle
Spiking will be Ateneo’s main advantage against DLSU as they hold a league-best 31.08% spiking success rate. The excellent play of Deanna Wong will also be an important factor in this statistic as she is the favorite in the Best Setter race with an average of 8.75 excellent sets per set.
Jho Maraguinot and Kat Tolentino, 4th and and 8th on the best spiker ladder respectively, will have the challenge of facing La Salle’s blocking, which is second in the league, and La Salle’s floor defence led by the division’s top digger Dawn Macandili.
In order for the Blue and White to overcome their top-seeded rivals, they will have to perform better in their service reception. The last time they faced each other, which was a four-set win for DLSU, the Lady Archers racked up 16 service aces with Desiree Cheng, the league’s best server, notching seven.
It is important to note that this loss came before the Lady Eagles made an adjustment of putting Ponggay Gaston at libero in the second round. Gaston’s performance will prove vital as La Salle is the best serving team in the league with four of the top 10 best servers in their squad.
3. The inevitable match-up with FEU
Depending on Sunday’s results, the FEU Tamaraws and the Ateneo Lady Eagles could face each other again in either just one semi-final game or up to three games, one of which being the play-off. Although the season series is tied with both teams at one apiece, Ateneo has the advantage in won sets with a five over FEU while the Lady Tamaraws have only mustered three.
Ateneo’s five set loss to FEU in the first round exposed The Lady Eagles’ weakness in service reception as the Lady Tamaraws were able to score 20 points from the service line. In the second round, the Blue and White exacted their revenge with a dominant straight-set showing, which was also Gaston’s debut at libero. The decision worked to perfection as FEU was only able to score three service aces in the contest.
If the Lady Eagles stick to their tried and tested game plan against FEU in the second round and the Lady Tamaraws fail to adjust effectively, Ateneo has a good chance in the semi-finals as their previous win over FEU showed that they were able to shore up their receiving weaknesses.
Sunday will be an important day for the Lady Eagles. The FEU vs. NU game at 12pm will decide if the Lady Eagles will play for a solo spot at 2nd or to force a play-off with FEU. As long as Gaston plays well in terms of service reception and the tandem of Maraguinot and Tolentino produce on the offensive end, the Lady Eagles will have a shot at defeating the defending champions.
