Eagles volley feat tough act to follow

MANILA, Philippines - Ateneo coach Oliver Almadro believes the Eagles’ amazing 13-game sweep of the inaugural Spikers’ Turf Collegiate Conference crown will last for years given the level of competition in the country’s men’s volleyball.

“We didn’t really expect to score a sweep, we just want to gain experience from participating,” said Almadro moments after his Eagles brought down the National U Bulldogs, 25-23, 25-21, 38-40, 25-19, for the second straight time to complete a 13-game sweep at The Arena in San Juan last Sunday.

“I guess we just made history and we hope this would last for a time,” he added.

Part of that feat was Marck Espejo, whose conference-long exploits netted the crisp-hitting Eagle the Finals MVP and Conference MVP honors.

But Espejo has opted to down play his role, saying it was total team effort from stat to finish.

“I couldn’t have won any of these individual awards without the help of my coach and the whole team. This championship was won by the whole team, not just by myself,” he said.

Almadro agrees.

“It’s not about individual efforts, it’s about the team. This is what’s good with this team, there are no superstars, we treat each other equally,” he said.

Almadro also cited the team’s resiliency as key to their dominant run.

“I’m very proud of the players. We would lose a set but my players would make sure they would come back. They’re very resilient,” he said.

After the Spikers Turf, the Eagles set their sights on defending the UAAP crown they won also at the expense of the Bulldogs last season.

But Almadro cautioned his wards of complacency and that the UAAP is an entirely different arena.

“I told the players not because we won here, we would win the UAAP. We still have to work hard and play and pray hard,” he said. “Of course, our Spikers’ Turf will be a big help when we go to battle in the UAAP.”

But one thing is certain, the Eagles’ Spikers’ Turf romp, not to mention their last year’s title win, has made them the team to beat in the coming UAAP volley wars.

“We will of course have the psychological edge against NU and the other UAAP teams because of our win here,” said Espejo. “But it will still require hard work and determination for us to score a repeat.”