In line with the ongoing University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Women’s Volleyball tournament, this article will analyze the state of the Ateneo Lady Eagles in their journey to reclaim the volleyball crown.

Regular season recap

THE ATENEO Lady Eagles successfully secured their spot as the first seed in both rounds for the 81t season of University Athletic Association of the Philippines. The Blue and White first took flight on Wednesday, February 17 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, where they surrendered to the reigning champions and archrivals, the De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Spikers in four sets, 14-25, 17-25, 25-16, 19-25. They won all their remaining matches in the first round.

The second round for the Blue and White began with a nail-biting five-set thriller against the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Golden Tigresses, 19-25, 22-25, 27-25, 25-22, 15-11. The two squads kept the score close throughout the match, but in the end, UST’s Team Captain, Sisi Rondina, committed an attack error that gave the Lady Eagles the win.

The Lady Eagles won their matchups against the University of the Philippines (UP), Far Eastern University (FEU), and National University (NU). They met their rivals, the Lady Spikers, once again in the second round. Ateneo was once again defeated by DLSU. This time in straight sets, 17-25, 13-25, 23-25.  The Lady Spikers were able to neutralize Ateneo’s blocking and contained Kat Tolentino who had less than 10 points for the first time this season.

The wall of Katipunan

Ateneo boasts its spot as the top blocking team in the league not just as a result of the stellar performances of elite middle blockers Maddie Madayag and Bea De Leon, but also because of their third excellent net defender as well, Kat Tolentino who ranked third best blocker in the league as an opposite. With three of the finest blockers in the UAAP, net defense is arguably the Lady Eagles’ greatest asset averaging 2.55 kill blocks per set.

A potential win condition for the Blue and White, net defense is an indicator of overall performance. The latest game against the De La Salle Lady Spikers saw the Katipunan-based squad stagnant at the net with zero blocks in all three sets in their second loss against their rivals.

That being said, a defensively in-rhythm Ateneo can brave through any offensive storm as seen in their massive come-from-behind victory over the number one spiking team in the league, the University of Santo Tomas Golden Tigresses. Taking down the best offensive team took a record-breaking 11 blocks from Madayag to total to a jaw-dropping 24 blocks as a team averaging 4.8 blocks per set in the five-set thriller.

Improved floor defense

Statistically, no Lady Eagle has a spot among the top ten diggers, but this is due to Ateneo’s tremendous blocking efforts which have decreased opportunities to create more digs. Nonetheless, the team stands at a formidable third place in digging through an average of 18.78 digs per set anchoring from a team-wide improved ability to put the ball back into play.

A sharper floor defense means more opportunities for the Blue and White to create impactful plays and keep the gears running if ever blocking performance starts to dip. Notably, the team sits at fifth in receiving with veteran libero Kim Gequillana (38.70% efficiency) and outside hitter Gaston (38.69% efficiency) among the best in the league at the sixth and seventh spots, respectively.

Reliable Offense

The team may not be recognized for their offensive flare, but as they head into the Final Four, the Lady Eagles are actually among the better offensive teams in the tournament who closed out the elimination rounds. Ateneo ranked second in the spiking category, just behind the UST Golden Tigresses, with a 27.93% efficiency rating on their attacks. Most of the team’s offensive load has been carried by their veterans. Five Lady Eagles were among the Top 20 best scorers named after the elimination round with Tolentino leading the aerie with a whopping 200 points, finishing at fourth, followed by Maddie Madayag at tenth, and Ponggay Gaston at 20th.

The team’s success on the offensive end can be credited to the teamwork they’ve been displaying all season long. The team has been able to convert due to their masterful ball distribution as the team averaged 7.35 excellent sets per set. This put them at second, just a few decimal points behind the league-leading UP Lady Maroons. However, it was UAAP Season 80 Best Setter Deanna Wong who represented the Lady Eagles in the category once again. She finished the elimination round with 321 running sets and 882 still sets which placed her at second, trailing University of the East’s Laizah Bendong.

In the service category, Ateneo ranked at a modest fifth despite having three players: de Leon (7), Gaston (9), Madayag (10), among the top 10 best servers in the tournament and converting on 88 aces.

The Lady Eagles look to stay consistent with their executions if they want their offense to click and remain steady as they aim to return to the big stage of the tournament.

Silenced by the Archers

Despite outplaying most of the competition throughout the tournament, the Lady Eagles failed to notch a victory against their arch-rivals, the De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Spikers. In their season opener, the Blue and White fell to the Ladies of Taft, four sets to one. While they were able to put up a fight during the match, it seemed that the Lady Eagles were still acclimating themselves with the new system and the competitive atmosphere of the UAAP.  DLSU Coach Ramil de Jesus said this about Ateneo’s performance and Ateneo counterpart, Oliver Almadro, after the game: “As of now, nag-aadjust pa yung team nila, eventually, mapapatakbo niya rin ng maayos yan.”

(As of now, the team is still adjusting, but eventually, he will be able to run the team better.)

In their rematch, the Lady Eagles were poised to deliver a much better performance as they were riding on a 10-game winning streak and sitting atop the competition with a 10-1 record. However, DLSU asserted their dominance over Ateneo as they swept the Katipunan-based squad. It was an uncharacteristic game for the Blue and White as they finished the game with zero blocks despite being the top blocking team after the first half of the tournament. Aside from this, none of the Lady Eagles were able to put up double digits in the scoring column.

The Lady Eagles will look to capitalize on their twice to beat advantage and take down the charging Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws in the Final Four before we see another potential battle between the rivals.

Road to Redemption

Ateneo’s dream for a spot in the finals during season 80 of the UAAP was crushed by none other than the Far Eastern University. The Lady Eagles were knocked out of contention in four sets, 20-25, 21-25, 25-14, 19-25. The match also served as the final flight of Lady Eagle, Jho Maraguinot. After five seasons, the sun also set on former head coach Anusorn “Tai” Bundit’s stay as the mentor of the Lady Eagles.

This season, the Lady Eagles won both of their matches against the Lady Tamaraws in the elimination round. The Lady Eagles trailed FEU in the first two frames of the game with the Lady Tamaraws’ lead ballooning by as much as 10 points. A strong start and key substitution found in Dani Ravena coming in for Kim Gequilliana in the third set propelled the Lady Eagles to win the entire match. In the end, the Blue and White came out victorious, 14-25, 19-25, 25-21, 25-18, 15-12. Although it was initially a slow start in the game for the Lady Eagles, top scoring veteran, Tolentino, shared that  “[faith and trusting in God] is what really got us through the fifth set. It wasn’t anymore our skills but our trust in Him that He’ll take us to the end”.

The second round encounter of the two teams spelled a much different story. This time, the Lady Eagles dominated the Lady Tamaraws in straight sets, 25-21, 25-10, 25-18. Deanna Wong had a massive game by garnering 30 excellent sets. This allowed Kat Tolentino and Ponggay Gaston to lead the offensive charge by contributing a total of 22 points together for the Blue and White.

The Lady Eagles will once again meet the Lady Tamaraws for the playoffs of UAAP season 81. The odds are on the side of Ateneo as they carry with them a twice to beat advantage over FEU. The match will take place on May 4, 2019, at 4 PM in the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.