Gamiaw Sports: Ateneo guns for 10th win in a row

Feeling lucky: Ateneo De Manila will try to win against De La Salle for a Final Four twice-to-beat playoff insurance. The Blue Eagles will formally get the incentive if University of Sto. Tomas loses to the University of the Philippines in the other game.-

By Mark Escarlot | ABSCBN Sports&Action

Ateneo de Manila University will try to secure at least a playoff for one of the two Final Four twice-to-beat advantage Wednesday when the Blue Eagles face the De La Salle Green Spikers in their penultimate elimination round assignment in the 77th UAAP men’s volleyball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

Game time is set at 10:00 a.m. after the curtain-raiser between the semifinals-bound University of Sto. Tomas Tigers and the already eliminated University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons at 8:00 a.m.

The Blue Eagles are on a nine-game winning romp at solo top spot with a 10-2 win-loss record and a win will give Ateneo a chance for a playoff in case of a three-way tie at 11-3.

Other teams still in contention for the incentive in the next round are the idle Adamson U Falcons (10-3), UST (9-3) and two-time defending champion National U Bulldogs, seated at the no. 4 fourth spot in the standings and has a 9-4 slate. NU still has an outside chance to land in the top two spot in case of a logjam at 10-4 granting they come up with a superior tie break.

Ateneo handed the Far Eastern U Tamaraws a heartbreaking 17-25, 25-17, 25-17, 27-25 setback five days ago on Valentine’s Day with reigning Most Valuable Player Marck Espejo dishing out 21 points to lead the Blue Eagles.

The Loyola-based squad also has a shot for an automatic semis advantage in case the Tigers, coming off a pair of victories, drop their game against the upset-minded and also out of contention Maroons coupled with their win.

In this case, only Adamson will have a maximum of 11 wins. But if the Falcons drop their last assignment against NU and UST hurdles Ateneo on Saturday there will be a three-way tie at 10-4, where the two teams with higher tiebreaks will figure out in a playoff for the no. 2 spot.

The Tigers trumped the Green Spikers, 25-23, 25-18, 21-25, 27-25, last Saturday.

UP is coming off a 21-25, 25-20, 20-25, 17-25, loss at the hands of Adamson and holds a 4-8 mark while La Salle has only three wins in 12 games. The Maroons have dropped back-to-back assignments.