Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Tiebreaker Times

ADMU

‘God’s gift to Ateneo’ brings home another championship, MVP


It’s not only because his second name is Jesus, but Ateneo Blue Eagles head coach Oliver Almadro considers Marck Espejo a blessing from God to Ateneo because of the sudden turnaround in the Blue Eagles’ program since he came to Loyola Heights.

The 6’0” open hitter has nabbed the MVP award in all three of his UAAP seasons, leading the Blue Eagles to the Finals thrice and to championships in Season 77 and 78. Before he arrived in Katipunan, the Blue Eagles were perennially out of the Final Four.

In the Spikers’ Turf, Ateneo are flat-out dominating, having swept both seasons of the Collegiate Conference en route to gold. As usual, Espejo won the MVP award in both tournaments.

“As I’ve told you before, he really is God’s gift to Ateneo,” the outspoken Almadro remarked about Espejo.

“I always keep telling him and my players that individual awards come with team success. So if we focus on making everyone around us better, the awards will come with the championship.”

Espejo echoes his coach’s sentiments, stressing that he never looks at his individual stats.ST-College-ADMU-vs.-NU-Espejo-1054 'God's gift to Ateneo' brings home another championship, MVP ADMU News PVL Volleyball  - philippine sports news

“Hindi ko po talaga iniisip ‘yung awards. Kami naman po kasi sa team, mas naka-focus sa team stats kasi mas makikita mo doon ang progress naming lahat. Para sa akin naman po, mas importante na nag-champion kami than anything else,” Esepejo told Tiebreaker Times.

“Kung titignan niyo naman din po, marami sa amin ang may awards.”

There are several other decorated Blue Eagles. Espejo’s batchmate Ish Polvorosa has won two Best Setter awards in the UAAP and Spikers’ Turf, and a Finals MVP award during UAAP Season 77. American opposite hitter, Antony Paul Koyfman, won the Finals MVP for their second Spikers’ Turf stint.

#ReadMore  Jeff Napa proud to see Chico Manabat have his own NCAA team

“For me po sobrang blessing na maging MVP pero sa tingin ko po mas magandang goal ang mag-champion as a team,” he concluded.

Written By

Miguel Luis Flores fell face first into sports writing in high sch9l and has never gotten up. He reluctantly stumbled into the volleyball beat when he started with Tiebreaker Times three years ago. Now, he has waded through everything volleyball - from its icky politics to the post-modern art that is Jia Morado's setting.




You May Also Like

Alas Pilipinas

Steven Rotter stood tall as Alas Pilipinas Men capped off their 2025 AVC Men’s Nations Cup campaign on a high note, outlasting New Zealand...

Alas Pilipinas

Alas Pilipinas Men saw their title hopes dashed in the 2025 AVC Men’s Nations Cup following a hard-fought defeat, 19-25, 25-23, 28-30, 20-25, to...

Alas Pilipinas

Leo Ordiales stood out for Alas Pilipinas Men in an otherwise challenging start to their 2025 AVC Men’s Nations Cup campaign, as the team...

Alas Pilipinas

After barely sharing the court in their first two games, Buds Buddin finally lived his long-awaited dream of playing alongside his volleyball idol, Marck...

Alas Pilipinas

With the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship fast approaching, Alas Pilipinas may have found its spark — and it’s none other than Marck...

Alas Pilipinas

Kim Malabunga saved his best for last, delivering his finest performance for Alas Pilipinas in the Invitational tournament with a clutch showing against regional...

Alas Pilipinas

Marck Espejo erupted for 30 points as Alas Pilipinas overcame a fourth-set stumble to pull off a thrilling 21-25, 25-21, 25-22, 21-25, 15-12 five-set...

Alas Pilipinas

After seeing limited minutes in their opening match, Marck Espejo came alive and led Alas Pilipinas to a dominant four-set victory over Hyundai Capital,...

Advertisement