In line with the return of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Women’s Volleyball Tournament, this weekly series will analyze the state of the Ateneo Blue Eagles as they aim to regain the crown in Season 85.
THE BLUE Eagles struggled to maintain their consistency and lacked aggressiveness in their first four matches of the first elimination round, as they currently stand with a 1-3 record, good for seventh place.
Last March 1, the Katipunan-based squad secured their only win against the University of the East (UE) Lady Warriors in four sets, 3-1. However, the Blue Eagles fell short last February 25 against the National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs and the De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Spikers last March 5, both in three straight sets, 0-3. As for their match on March 8, the Blue and White surrendered to the Far Eastern University (FEU) Lady Tamaraws in their first five-set match, 2-3.
- Learning from the losses
Marit: FOLLOWING A stunning come-from-behind Final Four appearance last Season 84, the Blue Eagles opened their Season 85 campaign with a loss that revealed several areas of improvement in their system. In a post-game interview, Head Coach Oliver Almadro emphasized building the team’s confidence inside the court. This requires specific steps for the Blue and White as they slowly transform their losses into lessons.
In their first match against the Lady Bulldogs, the Blue Eagles’ insufficient attacking ability in addition to big lapses in floor coverage allowed the opponents to take the match in three straight sets. Ateneo’s 23 overall excellent digs with 24% efficiency were no match to NU’s 41 digs with 48% efficiency, which were spearheaded by Season 84 Best Libero Jennifer Nierva. The Blue Eagles also lagged behind in first ball reception against the Lady Bulldogs who performed at 50% efficiency compared to Ateneo’s 32%.
Much like Season 84, the DLSU Lady Spikers’ biggest advantage over the Blue and White is their team’s height—which they effectively maximize for blocking. Most notably, the biggest problem of any team that goes against the DLSU Lady Spikers comes in the form of their monster rookie Angel Canino. She scored 23 points in the match against Ateneo and led the team in both offense and defense. If the Ateneo Blue Eagles fail to build a system to contain the rookie from Taft, redeeming themselves against their rivals would be a steep path.
Meanwhile, the Blue Eagles’ five-set thriller against the FEU Lady Tamaraws further emphasized the weaknesses in Ateneo’s digging and reception. The trio consisting of AC Miner, Lyann De Guzman, and Faith Nisperos showcased powerful offensive efforts, but FEU’s hustle on their defense erased the Blue Eagles’ aggressive attacks.
If Ateneo aims to grab more wins, building momentum and sustaining consistency during crucial moments are potential areas that the Blue Eagles could work on as they move forward in the first round of eliminations.
- Struggling Stars
Anton: ONE YEAR removed from an impressive Final Four finish in the previous season, high expectations have definitely been placed on this season’s Ateneo Blue Eagles , even with some key losses to their formidable rotation. Those departures included consistent starters setter Jaja Maraguinot and opposite hitter Erika Raagas, who were both vital to the Blue Eagles’ success last season but have now transitioned into the professional leagues. In spite of these developments, Ateneo’s two main pieces—Faith Nisperos and Vanie Gandler—stayed put with bigger aspirations: intending to leave a bigger stamp than they did in Season 84.
These hopes and expectations have been hard to come by, however, given the shaky beginning to their Season 85 campaign. The Loyola Heights-based squad’s slow start can be attributed to their underperforming one-two punch of Nisperos and Gandler, who were otherwise excellent for the Blue Eagles during their third-place finish the season prior.
Following an impressive showing last season, standout phenom Nisperos saw her numbers dip to begin Season 85 as she got reacclimated into the team, ranking outside the Top 10 in most statistical categories as of writing. In Season 84, the outside spiker ranked fifth in spiking efficiency, and was the second-rated server in the entire league, far better marks than what she has shown early on this season.
Meanwhile, the seasoned veteran Gandler also saw drops in her offensive ranks after an elite scoring performance last season. Ateneo’s second outside hitter placed seventh in points contributed for Season 84, but has now regressed to outside the Top 10, currently at 13th in the conference.
While we all know what these two are truly capable of, and are confident that improvements will be made, something has to be done soon if they want to turn this slow start into a winning streak. For a team that relies heavily on its stars, the club leaders will have to reach their already proven potential in order to achieve another deep title run.
- Rookies rising to the spotlight
Jill: DESPITE THEIR defeat against defending champions the NU Lady Bulldogs, Yvana Sulit and Geezel Tsunashima were able to make their presence felt for the Blue and White. The two girls were both recruited from Ateneo de Davao and debuted at the same time in their game against NU.
Sulit, a middle blocker, should be utilized more often—similar to NU’s Erin Pangilinan and DLSU’s Thea Gagate who are known to be reliable forces on the defensive end. Like Pangilinan and Gagate, Sulit should maximize her height advantage to strengthen the Blue and White’s defensive wall, helping AC Miner tower over their opponents. We already saw the immense potential of the 6-footer rookie as she contributed six points in their first win against UE. Setters Taks Fujimoto and Bea Lomocso should provide Sulit with unique variations in the middle or develop her quick running attacks to capitalize on her height advantage.
Similar to Sulit, Tsunashima should also be utilized more often since her left-handed attacks would be difficult to defend if she’s given the opportunity to grow her confidence on the court. In their second game of the season against the Lady Warriors, Tsunashima was the third-highest scorer with her 13-point contribution. Crafting various offensive strategies for Tsunashima will improve the efficiency of the Blue and White. Lastly, not only can the former Ateneo de Davao University outside spiker help on the offensive end, but she can also deliver on the defensive end, supporting Roma Doromal on the passing coverage.
The needed impact of these two rookies emphasizes that the Blue Eagles are indeed a young team. Thus, developing their skills will definitely help Ateneo find their rhythm as they build confidence and performance of the system’s new pieces.
Next week’s games:
Sunday, March 12, 2:00 PM vs Adamson University Lady Falcons at the Philsports Arena, Pasig City.
Wednesday, March 15, 3:00 PM vs University of Santo Tomas at the Fil-Oil Ecoil Arena, San Juan City.
