Women’s Volleyball Preview: Ateneo-La Salle First Clash

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The most anticipated game of the season has arrived. The archrivalry will again be flaunted on Sunday as the defending champions Ateneo takes on La Salle to end the first round of eliminations. It’s been 10 months since the Lady Eagles won their first championship against the Lady Spikers, after battling it out in the last 3 finals series, and we would see a much vindictive La Salle seeking to avenge their loss. So far, both teams are still undefeated in the season and will duke it out to see who will come out on top.

This will be an interesting matchup because this will be the first time Ateneo will be facing La Salle as defending champions. In fact, in the last 21 head-to-heads between the two schools (from Season 71), Ateneo has only won a total of 4 games, all of them in the finals (Game 1 in Season 74, and last season’s finals series). La Salle has been a consistent contender for a long time, and with Ateneo’s rise up in the ladders in the past seasons, this season’s competitive spirit will be on another level.

Even early in the first round of eliminations, there seems to be a clear separation between the top 2 teams and the rest of the teams. It will be interesting to see how all of this will result in come second round of eliminations.

Team	W	L	Points	SetRatio	PtsRatio
La Salle	5	0	15	7.500	1.252
Ateneo	5	0	14	7.500	1.331
AdU	3	2	9	1.429	1.031
FEU	3	3	9	1.111	1.034
UP	2	4	8	0.769	0.960
NU	2	3	5	0.545	0.942
UST	1	4	3	0.417	0.955
UE	0	5	0	0.000	0.595

We will be evaluating the two teams based on their performance on each volleyball skill. Note that we only used the first 5 matches of each team (we ignored the DLSU-UE game last Sunday, since Ateneo has yet to battle UE).


Serving & Passing

Volleyball play begins with the serve.  As the first ball contact, the serve dictates the tempo of the game. A very good server can force the other team to scramble for a play and keep them out of rhythm throughout the rally. After 5 matches, La Salle leads the service department with a total of 40 aces (half of these from Ara Galang and Kim Fajardo), while Ateneo is 4th with 31. Despite this, La Salle commits more service faults, making Ateneo a more efficient serving team, with a 93.7% success in serving (meaning service errors only come 6.3% of the time). However, more aces and faults in a team can mean that the team is being very aggressive on the serve – they are taking more risk to make it difficult for the opponent to run its offense. If La Salle minimizes its errors, their serving game can be tough for Ateneo.

Service	Ateneo	La Salle
Skill rank	4	1
Aces / set	1.82	2.35
Faults / set	1.47	2.00
% good	93.7%	91.9%
% ace	7.8%	9.6%

On the flipside, Ateneo is the league’s best passer, with a passing efficiency of 31.8%, almost doubling La Salle’s 18.0%. DenDen Lazaro and Ella De Jesus, who receive the ball 77.5% of the time for Ateneo, have a combined passing efficiency of 35.5%. La Salle’s main passers – Ara Galang, Dawn Macandili and Desiree Cheng – have a passing efficiency of only 17.3%. Ateneo’s system banks on their ability to receive the ball well so that they can set-up their offensive strategies. If Ateneo can get their passing early, they will be able to handle the first-ball offense of La Salle.

     Serving: La Salle
     Passing: Ateneo


Setting

The setter is considered to be the most important position in volleyball (ask coaches and volleyball aficionados). Setters are the ones who direct the team’s offense by calling out plays. The team’s offensive system is only as good as the setter’s performance because a spiker can only hit the ball effectively if it is set properly. Last season, rookie Julia Morado proved to be worthy of the #12 jersey of Ateneo when she replaced Jem Ferrer, former three-time UAAP Best Setter. She is now the league’s leading setter with a total of 171 assists in five games. La Salle’s Kim Fajardo, last season’s best setter, is at second place with 140 assists.

Setting	Ateneo	La Salle
Skill rank	1	2
Assists / set	10.1	8.5
Offensive Eff%	77.4%	72.1%

Morado’s performance can be attributed to her team’s steady passing. The purpose of setting the ball is to successfully execute an attack that maximizes the team’s chance of getting a point. An excellent set or assist is counted when the point awarded to the attacking team is from an “in-system” play. Being “in-system” means the team can control the ball well and can give it to the setter accordingly. It is important for the team to be “in-system” if they want to use all their offensive options and to run a fast offense. So far, Ateneo leads in this aspect, with 77.4% of their attacks coming from “in-system” plays, while La Salle is at 72.1% – both teams are above the league average of 64.2%.

     Setting: Ateneo


Attacking

This skill is the most recognizable in volleyball as this is the offensive arm of the sport. So far, Ateneo leads in this skill, with an attack efficiency of 24%, La Salle coming close second at 21.2%. Alyssa Valdez, so far the best scorer in the league, leads in attacks with 88 of her 106 points from spikes while La Salle’s best scorer Ara Galang has 82 spikes so far. Don’t forget that spiking a ball needs more than just speed and athleticism – more often than not, good passing and setting will lead to a successful attack. Ateneo and La Salle are both very efficient in attacking (vs league average) because their passing and setting have been superb.

Attacking	Ateneo	DLSU
Skill rank	1	2
Kills	221	201
Attack Eff%	24.0%	21.2%
In Play Eff%	85.9%	89.2%

Remember also that volleyball is a rally point system, so all opportunities for scoring a point must not be wasted. Attack errors such as hitting the ball into the net or out of bounds are crucial especially when they pile up. In this regard, La Salle’s in-play efficiency is higher at 89.2% vs Ateneo’s 85.9%, which means they are less likely to commit attack errors during the rally. Considering both efficiency numbers, both team’s seem to be dominant and effective in this skill.

     Attacking: Tie


Blocking & Digging

The primary defensive stops for volleyball are blocking and digging. The first line of defense is blocking, and if the ball is sent over/through the block, the team must be prepared to dig it. One of La Salle’s cornerstones is blocking, and they are milking it this season with the tallest lineup in the league (average height of their first six is 5’9” vs Ateneo’s  5’7”). They are also able to rebound the ball off of their opponents’ attacks 34.3% of the time, slowing down offenses. They also have the highest block kills in the league, currently at 2.82 per set.

Attacking	Ateneo	DLSU
Blocking	3	1
Kill Block%	5.9%	7.3%
Rebound%	30.0%	34.3%

Digging will be a forte of Ateneo, currently 2nd in the league with 8.88 digs per set, followed by La Salle’s 8.65 digs per set. Denden Lazaro, last year’s best digger, has now shared defensive responsibilities with her teammates – she averages 2.47 digs per set vs last season’s 3.38. This team effort enabled Ateneo to dig their opponents’ attacks 82% of the time, while La Salle is at 73%. One reason for a smaller number for La Salle is because they are very good in blocking, so not much balls to dig for their team. In defense, La Salle and Ateneo takes one skill each.

     Blocking: La Salle
     Digging: Ateneo


Who will prevail?

Considering all skills, both teams look good on paper – they seem to be cancelling out on all offense vs defense corners. Observers have said that Ateneo plays like an ‘Asian’ team because their sets are faster and lower than usual sets so as to execute their plays quicker. The low-fast system is a trademark of Asian volleyball teams like Japan and Thailand – quicker attacks in all options (left-wing, right-wing, middle) are effective against taller teams who can easily block slower offenses. After last season’s loss, La Salle seems to be moving much faster than before – they’ve adjusted the rhythm of their plays to run a quicker system. It will be interesting to see how these two will battle it out on speed. Note that low-fast setting will only work if a team is in-system – they can give the ball where the setter wants it so she has all the options.

Individually, Ara Galang and Alyssa Valdez, whose efforts comprise 1/3 of their respective team’s numbers, will surely play their part and put out big numbers in all aspects – they are both consistent not just in offense but also in defensive measures such as blocking and digging. The question now is who will have a stronger support system? Volleyball is a team sport that plays with 6 players on court – whoever has the better 5 players will have an easier time winning the game. Finally, the team that can limit their unforced errors (especially serving and attacking errors) will also come out on top.


Ateneo and La Salle’s rivalry is not just about the schools’ alumni and their history – this rivalry has always brought out the best out of each other. Both team’s fierce competitiveness in all things sports have brought the game of collegiate volleyball into new heights. Whatever the outcome might be on Sunday, we will surely be in for an exciting match.

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Volleyball Basics: Serving, Passing and Digging

Serving

Serving is one of the more underrated skills in the game (second only to setting). Most people still think of serving as just one simple skill to start off the game. What many people fail to consider is serving is essentially an attack attempt already - albeit very much further from the front court and the net. Remember that volleyball is a rally point system, so teams should be taking advantage of any chance of scoring a point.

There are many types of service: a floater (hitting the ball in the center, causing ball flight to be erratic/unpredictable and no spin), a top spin serve (very quick ball movement, hit on top of the ball), a jump serve (usually a top spin serve but struck after a toss and jump), and others.

There are three possible outcomes after a serve is carried out:

• Service ace - if the ball lands on the opponent's court or the ball is not kept in play after the first touch, an ace (point for the serving team) will be registered. Furthermore, any violation called on the receiving team such as a player out of bounds during service or a receiving team out of rotation is counted as a service ace as well.
• Service error - if a server commits foot fault, serves out of rotation, serves out of bounds or doesn't go over the net, a service error will be counted and a point to the receiving team.
• Ball is kept in play

The standard stat to measure the serving skill of a player is computed as follows:

Passing

Passing is the first contact on the ball after a serve. Service reception is very important for the receiving team because this dictates how well they will be able to set-up their offense and how they can handle the resulting rally. There is a reason why passing is important and is analyzed outside the realm of digging (which is primarily a defense skill). A good pass (receive) is the main pivot of a team's quick transition from a good defense to a good offense.

It is important for a receiving team to get the rally point. Think of this as similar to "breaking the serve" in tennis. In volleyball, a point earned by a team from an opponent's serve is called a sideout. Sideouts are important (despite the fact that the term is an old volleyball term, it still applies and is important today) because this signals a break in momentum for the serving team, and shows how well the receiving team is running its offense [more on sideout analysis later in advance metrics].

The standard stat to measure the passing skill of a player is computed as follows:

Digging

Digging is a skill executed when a player receives an attacked ball and keeps the ball in play. It is important to note that digs only count for receiving a ball attacked by the opponent (i.e. passing a free ball is not counted as a dig attempt).

As with any other sport, the saying that 'defense wins championships' also holds true in volleyball. Digs, along with blocks, are important cornerstones in game play and are the only skills to contribute to defense. Remember, volleyball is not just about the offensive stops - the 2 other ball touches (defense and setting up) are very (if not more) important than that.

The standard stat to measure the digging skill of a player is computed as follows:

Next two skills that will be described are blocking and attacking.

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Volleyball Basics: Game play, Court and Players

Before any kind of analysis, it is important to review some volleyball fundamentals so we can all be in the same page.

What is volleyball?

As said by FIVB, volleyball is "a complex game of simple skills". Volleyball is a non-contact sport that involves 2 teams of 6 players each. Each team's goal is to score points by landing the ball on the opponent's court or forcing the opponent to commit errors.

The two teams would take turns handling the ball. Each play will start with a serve that takes the ball to the opponent's court. Once play starts, a team can only have 3 touches on the ball. The usual sequence is a pass (or dig), a set, and a spike. Some basic rules are as follows:

• Volleyball uses rally scoring. Games are usually played best of five sets, where the first four sets are played to 25 points, and the final set is played to 15 points. A team must win a set by 2 points (note that there are no maximum number of points, as long as a team gets 2 points ahead).
• Players are not allowed to touch the ball more than once.
• The ball must be struck with a quick motion by a player's hand. If the ball is "palmed" or lingers in a player's hand too long, this will be called a lifting violation.
• Touching the tape(top) of the net, stepping on the line on serve, ball going out of bounds without touching a player -- will result to an error and a point awarded to the opponent.

Court and Rotational Positions

The volleyball court is 59 feet by 29.5 feet, divided by a center line where the net is. 10 feet from the center line is the attack line, which divides one team's court into a "front row" and "back row" areas. Three players are positioned in the front row and three in the back row. Anytime a player is in the back row, he or she cannot attack or spike the ball beyond the attack line.

The areas in the front row and back row are further divided into 6 numbered areas, starting with 1 in the back right corner, then going counterclockwise. During the game, a team will rotate each time they win a (sideout) point. However, note that rotation is in a clockwise manner, so that the sequence of servers, which is usually in the 1 position, will move according to the numbers.

Playing Positions

• Outside hitters (OH) - also referred to as open spikers, these players hit the ball near the left antenna or left side of the court (Area 4). This position has the most number of sets given to the player and are usually the go-to player of the team, thus players in this position need to be consistent attackers and must have good stamina. Moreover, these players must also be good diggers as they will be the ones digging the ball once they rotate to the backrow.

• Opposite hitters (OP) - these are players who are placed opposite the setter in the rotation. Opposite hitters usually hit the ball on the right side of the court (Area 2). These players must be great blockers since they are usually the ones manning the OH of the opponent. They must also have good ball handling since they may be responsible in setting the ball if the main setter cannot get to the ball.

• Middle blockers (MB) - also known as middle hitters, these are the players who are positioned center front (Area 3) and are responsible mainly on defense via blocking the opponent's attackers. Middle blockers are usually the tallest players in the team because of this job (at least in the collegiate scene). These players move fast to hit 'quick' sets and also serve as 'attacking decoys' to confuse the opponent's blockers.

• Setters (S) - these players are responsible for setting up the attackers of the team. Think of them as the point guard-equivalent of volleyball. Setters decide the plays and tactics to be executed by the team. Because of this, setters must have good communication skills and be quick on their feet. Most importantly, they must have excellent ball-handling skills and defensive skills.

• Libero (L) - Liberos are the defensive specialists in the team, thus they must be very good passers/diggers and very quick to move. These are the only players in the team that are not limited by the rules of substitution - they can freely replace any player in the court as long as they are in the back row. Liberos usually replace the MBs once they rotate to the back row.

A team usually has 2 outside hitters, 2 middle blockers, 1 setter, 1 opposite and 1 libero (a 5-1 rotation, meaning there are 5 attackers and 1 setter). These players will have specific formations inside the court.  There are many other kinds of formations/rotations but this is the most used in collegiate volleyball:

Next up, we will be discussing the skills and game play rules in greater detail.

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