Sports
Maddie Madayag hailed UAAP Player of the Week
Ateneo Lady Eagle Maddie Madayag has just been hailed University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Player of the Week, chosen by the Chooks to Go-Collegiate Press Corps, after breaking an 11-year-old record last Wednesday, March 20 during their game against University of Santo Tomas (UST).
The middle blocker, now a veteran in the league, scored a career-high of 23 points but created a new record by performing with 11 blocks in the game. This helped the Lady Eagles rise out of a two-set deficit, coming up with their seventh straight victory at the end of the game. It was in the fourth set specifically where Madayag broke the record, denying a Sisi Rondina attempt to score. The thrilling game’s set scores ended at 19-25, 22-25, 27-25, 25-22, and 15-11.
Responding to making history, Madayag said she is “speechless,” adding, “I just played my gae, and contributed whatever I can for the team, and I just gave it my all.” Prior to Madayag, the record for most blocks per game was set by La Salle’s Celine Hernandez, putting up nine blocks against Adamson University in 2008.
This is the third time in the season so far someone from the Oliver Almadro-led squad earned the prestigious Player of the Week award, following Kat Tolentino and Bea de Leon.
The Chooks to Go-Collegiate Press Corps, specifically, is composed of sportswriters from broadsheets, tabloids, and online publications. Among the other contenders for the weekly award were UST’s Sisi Rondina, University of the Philippines’s (UP) Tots Carlos, Far Eastern University’s (FEU) Lycha Ebon, and University of the East’s (UE) Lai Bendong.
Madayag played a big part in her team’s current 7-1 win-loss run that resulted in them holding the top spot, looking to protect that in their upcoming game against the UP Lady Maroons for round 2 of the UAAP season next Saturday, March 30 at the Mall of Asia Arena.