In line with the return of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Men’s Volleyball Tournament, this weekly series will analyze the state of the Ateneo Blue Eagles as they look to land a spot in this season’s Final Four.
THE BLUE Eagles find themselves in limbo on the UAAP Season 85 Men’s Volleyball rankings with a 5-6 win-loss standing.
The Ateneo Men’s Volleyball Team (AMVT) claimed the four-set victory over the University of the East (UE) Red Warriors last March 25, continuing this momentum to outlast the Adamson University Soaring Falcons in five sets last April 1. Following the one week pause for Holy Week, the Blue Eagles suffered a devastating loss against the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons last April 12 and most recently, they fell to the second-seeded University of Santo Tomas Golden Spikers in a sweep last April 15.
After the UE Red Warriors upset the third-seeded FEU Tamaraws prior to the defeat against UP, winning against the men in maroon would have immensely helped in knocking the Tamaraws off the Final Four slate. However, the boys in blue now prepare to take the rocky and uphill path to earn the coveted slot.
1. Firing from the floor
Matthea:
Behind any powerhouse team is an unshakable defense spearheaded by a sharp-witted guard; a dexterous libero can save the ball split seconds before it slams into the floor.
In the field of defensive specialty, Team Captain Lance De Castro remains the unequaled best digger of the season. The Blue Eagles’ backbone came second to none in floor defense, hitching another 57 critical digs over the last three games to sustain the team’s momentum for more rallies. Apart from keeping the ball alive for Ateneo, De Castro also showed an impressive improvement in mitigating faults. Given Ateneo’s unmatchable asset, the Blue Eagles’ nearly impenetrable ground defense is among their pivotal tools in securing a slot in the Final Four.
As the Blue Eagles approach the latter half of the second round, the speed and precision initiated by the libero must be sustained by the team to fire unstoppable hits down the enemy’s court. With Outside Hitter Jian Salarzon on the attacking front, it’s no doubt that Ateneo packs in a formidable offensive. However, despite clocking in with a triple-digit spike statistic, the standout rookie’s stand-alone shots will not suffice to take on the challengers ahead.
Considering Ateneo’s last match against the Soaring Falcons, the Blue Eagles were in for a three-set extender due to the opposition’s stalwart defense. Having two setters to closely read through Ateneo’s attack transitions, Adamson posed a threat to the Blue Eagles and suppressed their offensive momentum. As such, a more diverse attack line coupled with an unyielding defense may supercharge the Blue Eagles in hammering down on the more seasoned teams. This five-set clash should have stirred Ateneo to maximize their attackers as added firepower against the juggernauts. The Blue Eagles’ deep bench on the offensive line should be properly utilized to respond to the opponent’s sudden strategies.
2. All eyes locked on a vision
Caitlin:
During the 4th set against UP, the tenacious captain of the Fighting Maroons, Louisa Gamban, constantly targeted the most vulnerable side of the net where Egie Magadia borders the block. Usually, this weaker wall is supported by decent back row floor defense, but the Blue Eagles lacked vital composure during the extended set. This significantly affected their ability to run the offensive line, as Salarzon struggled to finish the set as the only scoring spiker In the last set against UP, Ateneo was under the mercy of a 4-0 run orchestrated by the Fighting Maroons. Abai Llenos stepped into the court and quickly stopped the bleeding for his team, yet this in-game adjustment was a tad bit too late. Even though the veteran is known to bring his team off the rut, his successful kills were not enough to salvage the match.
The latter half of this elimination round now poses a new challenge for Ateneo: who do they utilize during crucial portions of the game and when do they do so? Apart from Salarzon, Head Coach Timmy Sto. Tomas has Amil Pacino and his superb reception, Llenos and his whiplash hits, and Batas’ reliable cross-court power to use at his disposal. These three attackers have long been filling in the gaps for each other whenever needed, but perhaps a reliable rotation that has worked for them in the past would be their best bet as they face the top three teams.
As for the mighty FEU, the Tamaraws house the leagues’ best scorer in Mark Calado— who has recorded 242 points in all his games so far. He is also the second-best spiker in the league with 213 kills, boosting the Tamaraws as the third-best spiking team. These statistics call for Ateneo’s middle blockers of Jett Gopio and Chad Absin to lead the defense. However, the boys from Katipunan definitely have to match their offensive prowess and intensity to be able to repeat their four-set win over the Tamaraws that happened during the pre-season. In this game, Batas joined forces with Llenos, who came off the bench to overcome FEU.
All in all, no matter who is on the court, the Blue Eagles will have to leave nothing in the tank in order to soar past the league-leaders. To secure a spot on the Final Four, they will have to win all their remaining games.
Team Captain Lance De Castro believes that they simply need to take it one game at a time. He shares, “The seniors and I have told the team to use all those losses as our source of grit and strength going to our game against FEU. It ain’t over til it’s over. We’ve done it during our pre-season league, and I know we can do it again this time around. We just need to have our winning mentality going and our maturity, in order to win the next few games.”
This week’s games:
Wednesday, April 19 10:00 AM vs Far Eastern University Tamaraws at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Sunday, April 23 5:00 PM vs De La Salle University Green Spikers at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
