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FEATI Seahawks nip ADMU Eagles in 1st Ateneo Volleyball Cup
FEATI University declawed the Ateneo De Manila University Eagles as they clinched the championship in the 1st Ateneo Volleyball Program (AVP) Cup held at Club 650 in Eastwood, Libis, Quezon City on July 28, 2010.
Apparent height disadvantage did not stop the Seahawks from putting up a tight defense and scoring with hard-hitting spikes as they finished the four-set thriller in their favor, 16-25, 25-18, 25-23 and 25-22.
“Though most of the players from Ateneo were taller than our players, we did not let them intimidate us. We went there to prove that we could win the championship through hard work, determination and belief in ourselves, “shares FEATI Men’s Volleyball Head Coach Christopher “Shoks” Anore in Filipino, who had to fill in as the seventh member during team practices as his team faced absences of key players due to injuries and even death in the family.
Emerson Baetiong, the tournament’s Best Setter, was in a dilemma as several weeks before the championship, his father suddenly passed away. “It crossed my mind not to play when my father suddenly died. However, I decided to support my team. I always prayed for my father to guide me and help us win the championship,” relates Baetiong.
Apart from Baetiong, Best Receiver Kim Arevalo and Most Valuable Player Ricardo Acedo were also faced with situations that almost made them miss key matches leading to the finals. Arevalo had high fever during the semi-finals match but he still played. Acedo, on the other hand, was forced to sit out several games until the championship itself due to knee injury.
“I think that the setbacks that we had to face helped us to motivate ourselves to win this championship,” reveals Arevalo, who was not expecting to win any award. Acedo added that winning individual awards were added bonuses. “I was actually shocked when I heard my name being called as the MVP. At that time, individual awards were farthest from our minds. We were just there to give it our best shot and play a good game.”
All three bemedalled players and Head Coach Anore were quick to say that though they were crowned as the very first champion of the AVP Cup, they are one in humility in saying that there is no guarantee that they will also secure the championships in the ongoing second Inter-Scholastic Athletic Association (ISAA) season.
“Bilog ang bola. It’s anybody’s ball game. We can never be so sure of a championship but I’d say my players will give 105% of their efforts to win it. We’ve already proven that we can win a championship. Hopefully, we will win another one“, Anore said. (KAL)
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