DESPITE SURRENDERING ten errors in the second set, the Ateneo Blue Eagles dominated the University of the East (UE) Red Warriors, 25-18, 25-22, 25-17, on Wednesday, April 11, at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.
The Blue Eagles now hold an 11-2 win-loss record in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 80 Men’s Volleyball tournament with one game left in the elimination round.
Ron Medalla scored a career-high 19 points, tallying 18 spikes and one service ace for a superb showing on the court. Marck Espejo earned 12 spikes and three service aces, while Gian Glorioso racked up three denials. Ish Polvorosa had a terrific performance and was named Player of the Game after nabbing 35 excellent sets and one block. Additionally, the Blue Eagles posted 64% reception efficiency for a total of 36 excellent receives, which prevented UE from scoring a single service ace.
Ateneo head coach Oliver Almadro started Karl Baysa, Espejo, Polvorosa, Medalla, Gian Glorioso, Chu Njigha, and Manuel Sumanguid at libero. Service specialists Jobok Morado and Pau Trinidad were used throughout the match, while Jasper Tan and Jino Labao were given minutes in the last set.
An 11-3 scoring run in the middle of the first set put the Katipunan-based squad ahead by ten points, 21-11. The Red Warriors were able to respond with a 3-0 run, but Ateneo eventually closed it out with a quick from Glorioso to take the set at 25-18.
[1st set] Glorioso’s quick ends the set thanks to a one handed set by Polvorosa!
Ateneo 25 UE 18#UAAPVolleyball
— Apa D. Aquino (@Apa_TheGUIDON) April 11, 2018
The second set opened as a back-and-forth affair, but the Red Warriors managed to take a 17-18 lead thanks to four consecutive errors from Ateneo. The defending champions, however, came through and mustered a 5-3 run to close out the set, with Espejo taking the last point with a kill off the block, 25-22.
[2nd set] Espejo’s kill of two blockers gives Ateneo another set!
Ateneo 25 UE 22#UAAPVolleyball pic.twitter.com/Z66WFj8ab7
— Apa D. Aquino (@Apa_TheGUIDON) April 11, 2018
An 8-1 run gave Ateneo a 12-6 lead early in the third set. Errors plagued the Blue Eagles as they gave up five errors to supply UE’s 5-1 run, which narrowed the gap to 13-11. Fortunately, an onslaught of errors from the Red Warriors’ side helped the Blue Eagles pull away, and a concluding 5-1 run ended the match, with Medalla taking the last point off a cross-court spike, 25-17.
[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
As of the time of writing, the Blue Eagles are tied with National University (NU). If Far Eastern University (FEU) win over the University of Santo Tomas (UST), there will be a three-way tie at the top of the standings with NU, FEU, and Ateneo locked at an 11-3 standing. In this case, the Ateneo-NU match-up will decide which team snags the twice-to-beat advantage, with FEU staying a seed above Ateneo due to their two previous wins against the Blue Eagles in the first and second round.
The next game for Ateneo will be at 10:00 PM on Sunday, April 15 against the NU Bulldogs at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Set Scores
Ateneo-UE: 25-18, 25-22, 25-17
Box Scores
Ateneo: Medalla – 19, Espejo – 15, Glorioso – 11, Baysa – 8, Njigha – 4, Labao – 3, Polvorosa – 1, Tan – 1
UE: Adriano – 7, Alba – 7, Patacsil – 7, Inoferio – 5, Aljas – 2, Balquiedra – 1, Imperial – 1
