The UAAP Season 80 Men’s Volleyball Tournament has been the most challenging for the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles in recent years. The reigning champions lost three key players in middle blockers Josh Villanueva and Rex Intal, and towering American opposite Tony Koyfman.
Ateneo head coach Oliver Almadro would be the first one to tell you that volleyball is a team sport. A squad does not simply adjust to losing three of their starters.
He would also be the first to tell you that Ateneo have been blessed to have the best male volleyball player in the country in Marck Espejo. In each of his past four years in the UAAP, Espejo has been named MVP and will inevitably win the award again in his final season.
Not just a scorer, Espejo is arguably also Ateneo’s best blocker, best receiver, and best defender. Espejo’s all-around brilliance has patched up a lot of holes in Ateneo’s play.
But Espejo’s greatest asset often gets unnoticed. As Almadro relayed, it’s from his trust in his teammates that the Blue Eagles pull strength. Most importantly, it’s Espejo’s symbiotic relationship with Ish Polvorosa that has continued to fuel the Blue Eagles.
It’s hard to call a four-time Best Setter underrated, but Polvorosa plays next to Espejo. In their Final Four triumph over the twice-to-beat Far Eastern University Tamaraws, it was Espejo’s 55 and 37-point explosions that made headlines.
Almadro points out that none of that would have happened if Polvorosa and Espejo didn’t trust and love each other.
“What’s important is, my team trusts each other. They trust Marck, they trust Ish, they trust kung ano ‘yung ginagawa nila,” Almadro said of his duo. Late in the third set of their match against FEU on Wednesday afternoon, Almadro admitted that he had outright instructed Polvorosa to give the sets to Espejo.
“Sabi ko ibigay kay Marck. Honestly, sabi ko, ibigay kay Marck.
“Well, alam naman niya ‘yun. Kailangan siyempre ina-activate niya ‘yung iba, pero when it matters kailangan ko ng points,” Almadro recalled. “Pero nahuhuli si Marck eh, so nagbabago lang kami ng transition play, nagbabago lang kami ng play, and alam ko si Ish, pwede nang mag-coach din ‘yan eh. Alam niya na kung ano ang weakness at strength ng kalaban, alam niya rin ang weakness and strength ng team.
“Basta siya ang nag-lead at nag-sabi na ako bahala, positive tayo, pag siya nag-ganon, kontrolado niya na ‘yung team.”
Polvorosa admits that Ateneo’s main strength this season is Espejo. Whether they win the championship or not lies squarely on how far Espejo can take them.
“Ang mantra namin the past two games is ‘I live and die with my partner’ and that’s Marck Espejo.
“Wala tested naman na talaga si Marck alam naman namin na magpo-produce at magpo-produce siya every time so yung tiwala rin talaga with my teammate nandoon din talaga,” Polvorosa admitted. “Sobrang laki ng tiwala ko kay Marck and every time naman he delivers.”
Against the National University Bulldogs in the Finals, Polvorosa and Espejo know they need to further elevate their game to end their collegiate careers as champions.
“Papunta sa Finals, kasi ‘yung ibang mga starter namin puro bata. And kami, si Ish, kami ‘yung naka-feel from first year naman, nakapag-Finals na, hanggang huli nakapag-Finals na. Siguro kailangan lang namin ‘yung tamang motivation sa kanila,” the 21-year-old spiker closed.
“Basta alam ko, kaya namin ito.”
