Josh Ybañez accomplished a rare feat by winning both the UAAP Season 85 men’s volleyball tournament Season Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year awards.
However, three hours after his coronation, Ybañez witnessed his University of Santo Tomas team fall to National University in Game 2, resulting in a silver medal for them.
“For me, masaya ako, pero mas masaya siguro ako kung nag-champion kami kasi yun yung pinaka-goal ko talaga,” said Ybañez, a 5-foot-7 open spiker out of General Santos City.
“Bonus na lang if ever may mga individual awards pero ito yung binigay ni Lord so tanggapin namin and magpasalamat,” he added.
Golden Spikers head coach Odjie Mamon knows that this is just the beginning for the rookie MVP – the first since Marck Espejo achieved the same in Season 76. Mamon shared that Ybañez initially came off the bench, but once he had the opportunity to start, he never let go.
Ybanez accumulated an impressive 96.00 statistical points (SP), which was 22 points higher than the closest competitor, Michaelo Buddin, who had 73.137 SP.
He ranked second in scoring with 292 points, first in spiking with a high success rate of 45.74 percent, first in service with 0.36 aces per set, and second in reception with an efficiency rate of 56.99 percent.
Ybañez became the first MVP from UST since Mark Alfafara in Season 75. The last time a Golden Spiker won the Rookie of the Year award was in Season 70 when Jayson Ramos claimed it.
“Yung pagiging from second stringer to starter talagang blessing sa amin kasi hindi naman basta basta lang, nag-improve siya. Meron na siya [talagang skills] pero walang chance at the start, nung nagkaroon siya ng chance na mapasama sa starting six, hindi na niya pinakawalan nag improve pa siya as the season progresses,” said Mamon.
“I’m so proud at he embodies yung tapang, yung ferociousness ng tigre. Mas matapang pa siya sa mga barako.”
