FOLLOWING a rare 2-0 start to UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball, the University of the Philippines kept surprising just about everybody by fielding a whole new rookie-laden starting six in its clash with Ateneo on Saturday.
The ending? A straight-sets loss - their first of the tournament.
READ: Returning Sophia Buena, Ateneo wake UP from dream start
In the Fighting Maroons’ four-set upset of FEU last Wednesday, neophyte head coach Benson Bocboc deployed four holdovers and just two rookies in Kianne Olango and Julia de Leon at first serve.
Team captain Nina Ytang, Nica Celis, Joan Monares, and Irah Jaboneta then anchored them in their second straight win.
Four days later in the loss to the Blue Eagles, Jaboneta top-scored with an 11-point, 10-reception double-double, but was curiously scratched off the starting rotation before playing all of Sets 2 and 3.
Change UP, why?
And so, from a statistical standpoint, did Bocboc’s gambit pay off? Not quite.
Four of the veteran-laden starters in the triumph over the Lady Tamaraws hit double-figures, led by Monares with 19, whereas Jaboneta had no solid backing on offense against Ateneo.
In the FEU game, the maroon-and-green produced a whopping 60 total attacks against the green-and-gold’s 48.
That 60-attack output was cut in half in its Battle of Katipunan loss where the Blue Eagles produced 48 compared to State U's 30.
Moreover, their 10 team blocks vs. the green-and-gold were cut to just three, while their seven aces got sliced to five.
Even the non-scoring skills spiraled downwards for the 1-2 UP side with five less digs, four less receptions, and 13 less excellent sets.
As a numbers guru himself, Bocboc will be left to rue a bad game in a losing effort after two strong opening wins for the new-look, rookie-laden Fighting Maroons.
It won’t get any easier for State U moving forward, as their next foe will be Bocboc’s former team and 12-time UAAP champion La Salle.
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