Marck Espejo. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
With an all-important 1-0 lead on the line, Marck Espejo took matters into his own hands.
Espejo, the reigning three-time UAAP Most Valuable Player, wouldn’t be denied in Game 1 in the UAAP Season 79 men’s volleyballl Finals as he willed Ateneo past National University in five sets on Tuesday.
READ: Espejo, Blue Eagles rally to beat Bulldogs in Game 1
“I really asked for the ball to also confuse the blockers,” Espejo said in Filipino after scoring 25 out of his 54 spike attempts.
Espejo finished with 29 points with three blocks and a service ace.
But as impressive as Espejo was the fourth-year outside hitter didn’t take all the glory for himself.
“My teammates all helped me because in the first set, I was really down but they helped me bounce back. They cheered me up, complimented me, and I think that was the biggest factor today. Our familial bond showed on the court. Everybody’s helping each other in lifting each other’s spirits up,” he said.
Looking for the finishing blow, Espejo got blocked twice by James Natividad and Francis Saura that saw the Bulldogs knotting the score at 13.
“As a player, it’s expected that you’ll be down after getting blocked twice. But I’m already a fourth year player and I should be mature enough to rise through that situation,” he said. “I also know that my team and my setter trusts me, so I just gave it back to them. I can’t fail them and I have to pay back the sacrifices they have done for me.”
Espejo would then deliver on the next play, smashing a killer spike to put Ateneo on the hill before Rex Intal finished the match with a block on Fauzi Ismail.
A game away from the title, Espejo said Ateneo will go all out in Game 2 as it hopes to finish things off on Saturday.
“We’ll push harder and do everything we can to win. Our mindset is focused on the gold. We’ll go all out because we really want to get the gold,” he said.