Five sets, anyone?

VOLLEYBALL was not designed as a time-based sport. Much like tennis, a set could go on interminably until the two-point lead required for a winning side is fulfilled. A match goes on as well until a team wins three sets to claim victory.

This is a trend than can be expected to continue as the Spikers Turf, the all-male collegiate tournament currently being staged by Sports Vision, enters its homestretch.

A project of the same team that gave birth and life to the Shakey’s V-League, the Spikers Turf was made a separate, stand-alone league so that the men’s game could also grow on its own.  An initial men’s tournament was part of the V-League schedule but it was decided that the men’s game should fly by itself.

With a delayed presentation on TV on most afternoons at 4 on People’s Television Channel 4, the men’s game aspires to forge its identity and hopefully, its own success in the future.

The five-set trend is nothing new or strange to the men’s game.  One could say that the vast supply of spiking power causes a collision of strengths and therefore three sets is not enough to decide the outcome.  This is partially true but what is more evident is that there is an immense amount of talent that the league has unearthed.  A point can stay alive for long stretches because of the athletic talents of the players and die just as quickly with one burst of power.

Ateneo and National University, the men’s volleyball rivals who have battled for the UAAP title over the last three years, are dictating the tempo with unbeaten records after the classification and quarterfinal rounds. The two sides have yet to meet but there is a strong indication that they will be the two teams left standing after the semifinal phase.

This of course depends on the two other teams that will be in the final cast of four.  After Wednesday’s games, NCAA champion Emilio Aguinaldo College, National College of Business and Arts and La Salle are all angling for tickets to the next round.

With a game left in their respective schedules against the lesser lights of the quarterfinal round, these three schools are vying for the last two slots for the semifinals. The struggle these teams face is a need for a high level of consistency to improve their own games and to have enough resources to battle NU and Ateneo.

Take for instance NCBA.  Against the College of Saint Benilde last Wednesday, the Wildcats began sluggishly in losing the first two sets.  It required a major effort anchored on the heroics of guest player Reyson Fuentes, a lanky 6-foot-4 striker who can hit from most angles to finally carve out a five-set comeback win.

It can’t be just a solo effort, especially against the Blue Eagles and the Bulldogs who are stacked with ample firepower from a battery of excellent players. To win against these two in the next round and to shake up a predicted NU-Ateneo finale, La Salle, EAC and NCBA need to mix their punches and find ways to stay strong on the defensive end.

Five sets will be a common occurrence as the Spikers’ Turf enters its final phase.  Expect furious and explosive rallies and stirring defensive gems that will satisfy your craving for volleyball action but will definitely mess up your post-game schedule.

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