The reigning two-time UAAP champions Ateneo De Manila University Blue Eagles made a smashing debut in the Spikers’ Turf Collegiate Conference, sweeping the San Beda College Red Spikers 25-19, 25-23, 25-16 at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig.
Reigning Spikers’ Turf MVP Marck Espejo powered the Loyola-based spikers with 13 points while American Tony Koyfman added 11 markers.
The Blue Eagles’ roster featured several new faces that were not in their UAAP 78 roster. Ateneo head coach Oliver Almadro was consistent with his player shuffling, mixing lineups throughout the match.
“Like last year’s Spikers’ Turf, I can say that we aren’t 100 percent ready yet. So we’re going to take it one set at a time, one point at a time. We’re trying to find the right combination of players as we go along with the tournament,” said Almadro.
Even while shuffling lineups, Ateneo still managed to bury San Beda in big deficits every set. The Blue Eagles sprinted to a 14-8 lead in the first set then a massive 22-15 advantage in the third frame. The defending Spikers’ Turf champs only faced resistance in the second set ad they saw their eight-point lead dwindle down to one, 24-23, but were still able to close the set out after an Espejo kill.
“Hindi na namin tinitignan ‘yung score. We want everyone to get experience and used to certain situations on the court,” answered Almadro when his team let the Red Lions creep back into the match.
Guest player Berlin Paglinawan led the Red Spikers with eight points while Mark Santos added six. Due to their poor reception and attacking, San Beda allowed Ateneo to easily transition into their attacks and power home a 39-23 spiking advantage.
Ateneo (1-0) will face the EAC Generals (0-1) next on Saturday, 12 pm at the PhilSports Arena. San Beda (0-1) will try to recover against the UST Tigers (1-0) on August 10 also at the PhilSports Arena.
The Scores
Ateneo (3) – Espejo 13, Koyfman 11, Medalla 8, Intal 7, Villanueva 4, Baysa 3, Polvorosa 3, Glorioso 1, Magadia 0, Sto. Tomas 0, Tan 0, Sumanguid (L)
San Beda (0) – Paglinawan 8, Santos 6, Mascariñas 5, Viray 5, Manliclic 4, Torres 2, Gonzales 1, Enciso 0, Casin (L), Nicandro (L)
