By: Justine Anne Gaerlan
University of the East continued its dominance in the UAAP Season 86 Boys’ Volleyball Tournament by shutting Adamson University out, 25-21, 25-19, 25-22, at the Adamson University Gym on Wednesday.
The Junior Warriors went up to a 5-0 record, although they faced a resilient stand from the tough Baby Falcons in the third set.
Maintaining a four-point lead late in the set, the Junior Warriors experienced a challenge when the Baby Falcons scored three consecutive points, narrowing the deficit to one at 20-19. This prompted UE coach Raffy Mosuela to call a timeout.
After another exchange of points, Xyrone Montemayor delivered a crucial kill, setting UE at match point.
CJ Dominguito’s subsequent attack went outside, securing the victory for the Junior Warriors.
Adamson saw its two-game winning streak snapped and dropped to fourth place with a 3-2 record.
Meanwhile, University of Santo Tomas secured its second win of the season by defeating Ateneo, 25-4, 25-16, 25-5.
In the deciding set, the Junior Golden Spikers dominated with a 14-0 rally before Tadeo Manalastas’s attack gave Ateneo its first point.
UST then limited Ateneo to scoring off their attack errors.
Leading 20-4, the Junior Golden Spikers concluded the match with a 5-0 scoring run, winning 25-5.
UST maintained the fifth spot with a 2-3 record, while Ateneo, still searching for their first win, remained in eighth place with a 0-5 record.
In girls’ action, FEU-Diliman bounced back from their first loss with a three-set win over UPIS, 25-12, 25-5, 25-4, while UST achieved its third consecutive sweep after defeating De La Salle-Zobel, 25-14, 25-12, 25-15.
The Baby Tamaraws and the Junior Tigresses are tied for second place with a 3-1 standing, with Adamson University remaining on top with a perfect 4-0 card.
The Lady Baby Tamaraws had a dominant start in the third set, going on a 5-0 streak before being halted by a Cess Tumayao service error.
FEU-D then went on a 14-point binge, with Shiela Pascual scoring eight service aces.
Jing Alimen scored a service ace, sealing the match 25-4.
UPIS struggled offensively, with all four points coming from FEU-D’s errors.
In the Junior Golden Tigresses’ match, UST held an early advantage of 7-4 in the final set, later extending their lead to six points after scoring four unanswered points.
With the score at 20-14, UST secured the victory with four consecutive points, winning 25-15.
DLSZ maintained the fifth spot at 1-3, while UPIS occupied seventh place with a 0-4 record.
