In his first taste of the UAAP men’s volleyball finals, Michaelo Buddin ensured that his name would be remembered as he led National University to a hard-fought Game 1 victory over University of Santo Tomas on Wednesday.
The match ended with a score of 25-23, 25-22, 21-25, 29-31, 15-11 in favor of NU.
The 21-year-old outside spiker delivered an outstanding performance, recording a career-high 26 points. He achieved this feat through 24 spikes, a block, and a service ace, while also displaying exceptional receiving skills with 26-of-51 excellent receptions.
Buddin’s impact was particularly evident in the decisive fifth set, where the Bulldogs had to dig deep to avoid an upset and extend their winning streak to 33 games since 2019.
In that set, the rookie from Puerto Princesa, Palawan contributed five crucial points, including a pipe attack that initiated NU’s run of three consecutive points to clinch the match.
The thrilling encounter lasted two hours and 50 minutes and drew an enthusiastic crowd of over a thousand fans.
“Siyempre hindi ko naman inexpect na ganon yung magiging performance ko rin, sobrang happy po kasi syempre panalo po,” said Buddin as NU moved on the cusp of completing a three-peat.
“Siyempre naging mindset ko non yung effort ng team and coaches namin talaga. Nandoon na kami eh kaya gusto ko talagang ilaban nang ilaban yung game. Ayaw kong bumitaw,” he added on his mindset after the Golden Spikers forced fifth set.
“Siyempre ang haba ng preparation namin tapos ganon lang mangyayari?”
Finishing the elimination round with an unblemished record, the Bulldogs advanced directly to the finals, giving them a 10-day period to rest, prepare, and condition themselves for the best-of-three championship series. Meanwhile, UST, coming off a six-day rest and preparation, secured their spot in the finals by defeating Far Eastern University in the second phase of the stepladder format.
NU now aims to seal the series and secure their fifth championship overall in Sunday’s match, scheduled for 2 p.m. at the same Pasay venue.
Buddin mentioned that there will be little change in their mindset, except for a few adjustments, after UST managed to force a fifth set despite trailing by two sets.
“Ganon pa rin para sa akin yung mindset. Syempre hindi magbabago yun kasi nakuha namin yung game ngayon and kung ano yung naging mindset namin ngayon, may mga adjustments (lang) kaming gagawin sa next game po,” closed the 6-foot Buddin, also a product of National University Nazareth School.
