Blue Eagles sweep their way to crown

Ateneo defeated National University (NU), 18-25, 25-16, 20-25, 25-18, 15-13, Saturday to clean up all 16 games en route to the UAAP men’s volleyball championship at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

It was the Blue Eagles’ 30th straight win dating back to last season and one that capped their championship three-peat.

And to think all Ateneo coach Oliver Almadro wanted was for the Blue Eagles to win as many games as possible.

“From the very beginning, we didn’t expect that we’ll be able to sweep the season, but the Lord is so good He saw the players’ dedication and gave us strength,” said Almadro.

Although Ateneo dominated the season, it wasn’t easy to finally bag the crown as the Bulldogs snapped away at every opportunity.

NU also dragged Ateneo to a five-set thriller in Game 1 of their best-of-three title series (25-22, 21-25, 22-25, 25-18, 15-13).

“Ever since the start of the season, we always have slow starts, but my players know how to handle it. The maturity is there and it’s a big thing that our senior delivered,” added Almadro.

Season MVP Marck Espejo displayed big numbers worthy of his award, scoring 27 points, on 25 spikes. —MARC REYES