As the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 Men’s Volleyball tournament enters its final stretch, this weekly series will assess the current state of the Ateneo Men’s Volleyball Team (AMVT) as they aim to snatch the last Final Four spot.
IN A tale of two rounds, the Ateneo Blue Eagles’ hold on their solo-third spot to begin the second round has quickly slid from their grasp. Now staring at fifth place following a three-game losing skid, the AMVT hopes to salvage their stint at the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 Men’s Volleyball tournament.
Despite the Blue and White’s three straight victories before last week’s slate of games, the upper echelon of the UAAP seems to remain Ateneo’s biggest challenge, going 0-3 against three of the league’s top four squads. After a demoralizing five-set loss to the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Spikers—a match where the Blue Eagles held nine match points—the Blue Eagles faltered in their two succeeding assignments.
After their two-year winning streak over the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Golden Spikers was ended in straight sets, the AMVT entered their match against the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws with a must-win mentality. However, despite a much sharper-looking Blue Eagle side on Wednesday, Ateneo was unable to upset the mighty second-seeded Tamaraws as they fell in four sets.
Now, the AMVT has no other option but to lock in and sweep their final two matches of the elimination round if they hope to clinch their first Final Four berth since 2019. Moreover, Ateneo’s semifinal chances are no longer solely in their control. Aside from winning out, Ateneo has to rely on DLSU and FEU dropping at least two of their next three games for the Blue Eagles to obtain a shot at a playoff for fourth.
One last fight
Luis: As of writing, the Blue and White hold a 21-21 win-loss record in the Men’s Volleyball tournament this decade. Their consecutive 7-7 finishes in 2023 and 2024 have shunned them away from Final Four appearances in the top-heavy UAAP landscape. Although the squad has etched itself as a mainstay in the Final Four race during the eliminations, the Blue Eagles have yet to get over the proverbial hump.
With the odds stacked against them, Ateneo has nothing left to do but fight until the very end, and hope that fate will be in their favor. The Blue and White must look back on what worked in their previous outings in the first round in order to silence the doubters and finish strong.
Set to face the four-time defending champion National University (NU) at the Big Dome on Sunday, the Katipunan-based squad is in for a tall order. However, when revisiting their first encounter in San Juan, it is evident that the five-peat seeking Bulldogs are certainly not invincible, as the Blue Eagles have shown in the past.
Despite losing in four sets back in February, the overall scoreline of 101-105 proves that Ateneo is very much capable of not just keeping in step with the reigning champs—but also pulling off an upset—if they bank on what has already worked for them in the past.
The Blue Eagles managed to outscore NU off attacks and had 10 more excellent receptions than the Bulldogs. Additionally, ever-reliable veterans Kennedy Batas and Jian Salarzon combined for 33 points in their first bout with NU.
However, the problem lies in one department that has stunted Ateneo’s growth the entire season—errors. Giving up 44 points solely off miscues to their opponent’s 36, the Blue Eagles could have won had it not been for their plethora of faults. This frustrating fact has plagued the AMVT’s Season 87 campaign, especially in their second-round match against DLSU.
An unsustainable reliance on just a handful of scorers also limits Ateneo’s chances at diversifying their playstyle, making them an easy team to read. This lack in versatility is hard to remedy this late into the season, but if the supporting cast steps up just enough, the Blue Eagles might have one trick left in their bag to stun their final opponents.
Moreover, if giving Lance De Castro and Jett Gopio their first playoff appearance in their final playing year is enough inspiration for Ateneo to put up one last gallant stand—then the goal must remain clear.
Having covered the AMVT for the last three seasons, I confidently believe that if the Blue and White can muster up enough confidence to rekindle their momentum, it shouldn’t be a shock to anyone if Ateneo manages to topple NU on Sunday. However, before they do, the Blue Eagles must address one last glaring deficiency that has been their achilles heel all season long.
Heartbreak kids
Ralph: A flawed facet of the Blue Eagles’ game that this takeaways series has mentioned multiple times this season is their inconsistency with emphatically closing out sets. Heading into their recent slate of games against serious postseason contenders such as DLSU, FEU, and UST, it was certain that Ateneo would be punished for even the slightest of hiccups in the clutch.
However, while faltering in tight situations has often been linked to the Blue and White’s pitfalls, how such a weakness materialized in the recent week looked more costly and soul-crushing than ever. It comes at such brutal timing as Ateneo’s once optimistic Final Four odds have turned borderline insurmountable—largely because the Blue Eagles have, yet again, dropped the ball in moments of “final pushes.”
It is always hard to pin the blame on a singular match, but Ateneo’s razor-thin loss to La Salle may have possibly killed a huge chunk of the team’s previously-built confidence. In the game of volleyball, securing nine match points dramatically tilts the odds of victory in favor of the producing team, to a point of near-guaranteed triumph.
Despite possessing this overwhelming advantage, the Blue Eagles still somehow found a way to surrender an all-time classic fifth set against their rivals, which may have single-handedly altered their season. Further analyzing this statistic, this unprecedented meltdown was arguably not due to a lack of skill, but because of a shortage of discipline—as Ateneo fumbled five of these nine match points due to self-inflicted errors.
The Vince Mangulabnan-coached team still looked rattled in their following game against the Golden Spikers, chalking up 22 errors as compared to UST’s 13. Ateneo’s woes then persisted in their assignment against FEU, as they once again shrank in late-set standoffs—conceding two-straight 23-25 sets which effectively sealed their fate.
In sports, building positive habits serves as a reinforced roadmap for consistency. On that note, while the Blue Eagles are stacked with undeniable firepower, there are underlying numbers that explain why the team seems to be “cursed” in crucial junctures. A team striving to be cool under pressure cannot afford to shoot themselves in the foot, but the Blue and White unflatteringly leads the league in service errors by quantity and in percentage by amount of faults per service attempt.
So while fans may think that it is only about time until Ateneo’s talent prevails during anxiety-packed moments, the aforementioned points prove that the team’s constant endurance of heartbreak cannot be simply blamed on mere outliers. With another disappointing elimination-round exit knocking on their doorstep, the Blue Eagles must learn to play as if even the most minor of lapses will spell their ultimate demise.
The time is now
Lourence: The AMVT may be heading into their last two elimination round games facing long odds of making the Final Four, but the door to the playoffs has not slammed shut just yet. Entering these important matches, they have to remember that ever since their return to the UAAP taraflex in 2023, they have never lacked in one thing: talent.
As someone who has closely followed their campaign for the past three seasons, I have been a witness to the immense potential of the Blue Eagles—both mainstays and newcomers—to bring back Ateneo’s championship glory in men’s volleyball.
In particular, Salarzon’s debut in Season 85 brought valuable offense and impeccable net defense to the squad, emerging as Ateneo’s leading scorer and best blocker. The same season saw De Castro bag the Best Libero plum, a title that remains within reach for him this season. After last Wednesday’s matches, the team captain currently ranks as the second-best digger and fifth-best receiver of the league.
Such overflowing individual talent has become even more apparent this Season 87. Still showcasing his well-rounded performance, Most Valuable Player frontrunner Batas continues to put up consistent numbers on both offensive and defensive ends to position himself well in the spiking, receiving, and digging categories. Completing Ateneo’s powerful wing triumvirate is opposite hitter Amil Pacinio, who has stepped up for the Blue Eagles and now sits as the league’s best server and seventh-best spiker.
Rounding out Ateneo’s talent-filled starters are middle blockers Gopio and Brian Castro, who are both in the top 10 of the blocking category, and Enzo Gutierrez, who has maintained his spot as the second-best setter this season before this weekend’s games.
Given this impressive showing of individual skills, seeing the AMVT sitting comfortably at the upper part of the standings should have seemed almost automatic. However, as mentioned by Ralph, developing the killer instinct to finish off sets and matches remains an intangible skill the Blue Eagles have yet to fully master.
Gaining such a mindset in a game of runs and tight exchanges is crucial, as it can give the team an edge, whether they are leading or catching up. This mental advantage becomes most effective and fully realized if the squad plays more collectively and with composure, especially when the game is on the line.
After all, what sets a great team apart from a good one is the shared goal to win it all and the relentless drive to never back down. As such, the time is now for the Blue Eagles to come together and show what the team is truly capable of when their individual skills operate as one cohesive unit.
The AMVT must treat the last two games as their chance to secure every win they can by showing their grit and unwavering resolve to make it to the playoffs. While their Final Four fate no longer lies solely in their hands, they have no choice but to seize the final opportunities left before them and play their cards right.
Upcoming games:
Sunday, April 13, 9:00 AM, vs. National University Bulldogs at the Smart Araneta Coliseum
Saturday, April 26, 1:00 PM, vs. University of East Red Warriors at the Smart Araneta Coliseum
Current Standings (W-L):
- FEU Tamaraws (12-1)*
- NU Bulldogs (10-2)*
- UST Golden Spikers (8-4)
- DLSU Green Spikers (7-4)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (6-6)
- UP Fighting Maroons (3-8)**
- AdU Soaring Falcons (2-10)**
- UE Red Warriors (0-13)**
(*) – Final Four
(**) – Eliminated
