The Ateneo Blue Spikers overcame a sluggish start, and last ditch rally by National University to claim their third straight crown in the 79th University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP).
Season MVP Mark Espejo had 27 points in leading the Blue Spikers to an 18-25-25-16, 20-25, 25-18, 15-13 triumph and the men’s volleyball crown last Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Blue Spikers finished their best-of-three finals series with a two-game sweep.
They had earlier taken Game 1 with a 25-22, 21-25, 22-25, 25-18, 15-13 win.
The 6’3” middle hitter Rex Intal’s presence at the frontline in the final moments of the fifth set carried the Blue Spikers to a season-long 16th straight win.
Blue Spikers coach Oliver Almadro said the team got off to a sluggish start.
With the team showing eagerness to get it over with, the Blue Spikers managed to come back from 10-13 down in the final set.
“We were not expecting to sweep this. But the Lord is good. He gave us the strength. He guided us,” said Almadro.
It was Intal who helped Ateneo score the winning points.
His big plays came after the Bulldogs charged back from 10-13 down in their two hour and five-minute encounter.
As the count got tied at 13-all, Intal scored on a spike off blockers Francis Saura and Fauzi Ismail.
Then he gave the final point to the Blue Spikers when he and Marck Espejo blocked a hit from Paolo Trinidad.
“I admire my players, their maturity and resiliency,” added Almadro.
Karl Baysa unloaded two aces in fourth set to help move the Blue Spikerts ahead, 9-7.
This touched off a 6-0 run, and the Blue Spikers moved safely ahead, 12-7, off Ish Polvorosa’s block.
Intal finished the game with 10 points while Espejo, who is the season MVP, led with 27.
Rookie spiker Tony Koyfman, a 6’8 New Yorker, tallied 11 and was adjudged the finals MVP. NU drew 24 points from Ismail Fauzi while Bryan Bagunas added 20.