NU contains Ateneo’s Espejo in Game 1
By Jerome Lagunzad
Game Wednesday
(Smart Araneta Coliseum)
12 noon – NU vs Ateneo
(Game 2, Bulldogs lead series 1-0)
National University coach Dante Alinsunurin drew up a simple yet effective gameplan for the Bulldogs against three-time defending champion Ateneo yesterday: You slow down reigning four-time league MVP Marck Espejo, then the rest of the Blue Eagles will struggle.
Rock-solid on the net throughout, NU overwhelmed Espejo and Ateneo with a masterful 25-20, 25-19, 25-23 victory to close in on the UAAP Season 80 men’s volleyball crown at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Bryan Bagunas and James Martin Natividad did most of the damage on the offensive end with 36 combined points, but it was the Bulldogs’ defense, anchored by Madz Gampong, which spelled the difference in scoring an impressive straight-sets victory over the Blue Eagles in just one hour and 13 minutes of play.
The 5-foot-10 Gampong came up with five of the team’s 13 kill blocks and finished with 11 points while Natividad also added three swats, the last of them coming at the expense of the hard-hitting Espejo that put NU at matchpoint at 24-22.
“Alam naman namin kung sino ang ba-block-in. Sa halos lahat ng pagkakataon, kailangan lang i-challenge namin,” said Alinsunurin, referring to Espejo who only nailed 16 from of his 44 attempts, way below his mind-blowing average of 46 points in Ateneo’s epic two-game conquest of host Far Eastern University in the semifinals.
Espejo admitted he wasn’t surprised at all that NU’s defense focused on him that much.
“Alam ko naman na paghahandaan nila ako. Kaso nasa akin lang ‘yung pagkukulang, kasi hindi ako nakapag-adjust kaya mababa ang output,” he rued.
The dominant victory was the Bulldogs’ first in the finals since they won it all in 2013, also against the Blue Eagles via a two-game sweep. NU now has two chances to dethrone Ateneo starting on Game 2 set on Wednesday at the same venue.