[nextpage title = “UST vs. NU”] We have now arrived in the Final Four. The men’s semifinal matches will be interesting to watch as both matchups offset each other in terms of individual skills. Both UST-NU and Ateneo-Adamson are tied head-to-head in the eliminations, and these four teams will duke it out in tomorrow’s showdowns. Ateneo and UST both have the twice-to-beat advantage coming into the semis – can NU and Adamson overcome this? Check out our takes on both matches below.
UST Growling Tigers vs NU Bulldogs
| Rank | UST | NU |
| Spike | 3 | 1 |
| Atk Eff% | 25% | 27% |
| Block | 5 | 1 |
| Rebound % | 33% | 32% |
| Serve | 2 | 3 |
| Ace per set | 1.19 | 1.02 |
| Dig | 2 | 8 |
| Digs per set | 5.38 | 4.57 |
| Set | 1 | 4 |
| Exc Set per set | 8.56 | 7.98 |
| Pass | 4 | 3 |
| Pass Eff% | 27% | 29% |
Head-to-head, UST and NU were tied in the elimination rounds – NU winning the first round in five sets, while UST was able to get their revenge in the second round by winning in three sets. In their latest duel, despite NU being number one in attacks in the league, UST was able to mount more in that particular game (46 vs 36) – this was due to the excellent playmaking led by Paul Castillo and Timothy Tajanlangit. For tomorrow’s game, NU being the last in the ranks in terms of digging, must try to catch opponent attacks, especially from UST’s main scorer, Mark Alfafara. Despite NU’s lackluster floor defense, they make up for it on offense with an attack efficiency of 27%. UST has better serving, with more aces per set than NU, but they need to pick up their offense in other areas – service aces won’t take you places if the opponent is receiving the ball better (NU passing efficiency 29% vs 27% of UST). UST also has better setting and playmaking, but attack conversion is more important in winning the game.
Keys to the match:
UST
>> Given NU is # 1 in attacking, blocking is imperative for UST. In the elimination round, they won the matchup when they elevated their blocking significantly.
| UST | Won | Lost | Ave |
| Blk/set | 2.51 | 1.67 | 2.27 |
| Rebound% | 33.44% | 30.42% | 32.69% |
>> Limit errors in all aspects. If they do commit errors, they must be able to overcome this with consistent attacking.
NU 
>> Continue aggression on attacks, but be wary of attack errors.
| NU | WON | LOST | AVE |
| Atk/set | 14.30 | 8.61 | 12.29 |
| Hitting IPE % | 83.9% | 78.1% | 82.2% |
>> Errors must be less than 60% of points contributed by the team (atks, blks, aces).
Prediction:
NU can extend this to a second game if they keep up their attacks and if UST cannot control their own errors (for the season, UST is net negative on errors on their won points while NU is positive).
[/nextpage] [nextpage title = “ADMU vs. ADU”]
Ateneo Blue Eagles vs Adamson Soaring Falcons
| Rank | Ateneo | AdU |
| Spike | 2 | 4 |
| Atk Eff% | 25% | 18% |
| Block | 3 | 2 |
| Rebound % | 33% | 33% |
| Serve | 1 | 4 |
| Ace per set | 1.37 | 1.00 |
| Dig | 5 | 1 |
| Digs per set | 5.25 | 6.35 |
| Set | 2 | 3 |
| Exc Set per set | 8.42 | 8.33 |
| Pass | 2 | 1 |
| Pass Eff% | 32% | 33% |
Adamson and Ateneo are also tied in the elimination rounds – Adamson winning the first clash with a four set victory while Ateneo won the next one in straight sets. Ateneo was able to produce more attack points (40 vs 22) in their second round match, backed by defense on digs (16 vs 9) and passing (27 vs 17) to overcome Adamson, the team known to be the best defensive squad in the league. This matchup will be all about offense vs defense – Ateneo outranks Adamson in terms of attacks, serves, and sets/playmaking, while Adamson is the league’s king on defense, #1 in digging and passing, and #2 in blocking. For tomorrow’s match, Adamson should bank on their steady defense to be able to win the game (both floor and net). Ateneo has to find the seams of the blocks, or use the block whenever spiking, and avoid Rence Melgar- the #1 libero in the league- as much as possible.
Keys to the match:
Ateneo
photo by Joaqui Flores
>> Continue to be aggressive on the serve. Despite committing more errors, they won the games where the team took more risks on the service line.
| Ateneo | Won | Lost | Ave |
| Aces/set | 1.74 | 0.36 | 1.37 |
| Faults/set | 4.08 | 2.71 | 3.71 |
>> Errors should not be more than 50% of the point contribution of the team.
Adamson
photo by Joaqui Flores
>> Be able to successfully convert more points from attacks. Their contribution from attacks is significantly lower when they lose a game (by more than half compared to games won)
| ADU | WON | LOST | AVE | |
| Atk/set | 13.94 | 7.68 | 11.61 |
>> Continue aggression on the block by getting at least three blocks per set.
Prediction:
photo by Joaqui Flores
Ateneo, if they continue to dominate on all offensive skills (on the average, Ateneo has more effort on point contribution than Adamson, i.e. Ateneo gets points from their own attacks, blocks and aces while Adamson’s differential in winning relies more on opponent errors than their own efforts).[/nextpage]
