Ateneo Men's Volleyball: Paradigm Shift

(This will appear in the January issue of the Loyola School Bulletin)

Ateneo Men’s Volleyball: Paradigm Shift

by rick olivares
photos by ed ortega

For most teams, getting ready for a season begins with training. But for the Ateneo Men’s Volleyball Team, it began with a reminder.

Too long have teams – even with the women’s – taken the court with the mindset that “even if we lose it’s okay; we’re Ateneans anyway.” It’s totally ludicrous and smacks of misplaced arrogance.

For first-year Coach Oliver Almadro who played for Letran, he is all too aware of Ateneo’s long and rich history. And he isn’t even referring to its sports heroes but those in nation building.

A few weeks before the start of the UAAP season last December, the entire team went jogging a couple of times at Luneta across Baywalk all the way to the CCP complex and about.

Before they commenced their 3K run they stood right before the Rizal Monument. “It is fitting that we start our season right at the monument of perhaps your most famous alumnus,” opened Almadro who hoped to inspire his wards who assembled before 6am for the run. The team had that look of wonder and “oh, yeah.”

Little did they know at that time they were about to embark on something “historic.”

You have to love volleyball and be a sucker for pain if you want to play for the team. You can’t even hang the tag of “underachieving” for them because they haven’t achieved anything in more than two decades. The four total wins they racked up in the past two seasons are more than perhaps… hmmm… anyone lost count?

They would play games in Blue Eagle Gym, our virtual homecourt, yet the supporters of our opponents would greatly outnumber us by oh, 20 to 1. It didn’t help the scores were somewhere in the vicinity of those numbers. Obviously we were getting trounced. An automatic “W” for opponents.

Before the start of the Christmas break, the team had won four straight (they beat FEU for the first time in a decade and took them in three straight sets) and only their streak stopped when they faced the defending champions UST in a controversial match. Yet with two more matches to go, the team can go one up on their win total of the past two years just in the first round.

There is a noticeable change in the team now. They’ve become more of a singular unit as they’ve found common ground and a goal to aim for. Before their game against UST, they did something they never did before, scout their opponents. And after practice or games, they eat together and discuss the game some. “It also means a change in attitudes,” added team captain AJ Pareja who knows a thing or two about heartbreak. “We’re concentrating on winning games one at a time. Wherever we may go from here… well, that’s a long way from now.”

Even during the break the team continued to their workouts. In years past, the team would win their games before the break and fall apart at the turn of the New Year and the resumption of hostilities. “We’re conscious of that – our mistakes and shortcomings,” noted Pareja. “We want to break that.”

The tournament is a long way from being settled and the race is still pretty much wide open despite UST being a heavy favorite to repeat. Yet the team with new pick ups in Duane Teves, Rey Africa, Vian Seranilla, and Xavier Senoren have provided valuable support to Timmy Sto. Tomas, Pareja, Ed Ortega, and the vastly improved JR Intal. Tyrone Judes Casumpang, Leonard Christian Loo, Phillip Ian Layno, Kyle Matthew Ong, and Justin Tec round out the Blue Spikers.

The team would be even stronger had Mike De Joya and Julborg Africa suited up. As it is both are in the freezer because of academics. “That shows that you can not take anything for granted,” said Almadro with a touch of regret about the unavailability of the two.

For the Blue Spikers, they are sailing in previously unchartered waters. Before they had to learn how to win. Now they’ve tasted a little success, it’s how to keep it going.

“Pero take note… kahit hindi pa tapos yung season,” elaborated the coach. “what will make this year historic is not just what they are doing and trying to accomplish, but their newfound winning attitude.”

Now it’s time to make some history.


Here are the last games of 2008 on ateneo.edu:
http://www.ateneo.edu/index.php?p=120&type=2&sec=27&aid=6223