By: Justine Anne Gaerlan
University of Santo Tomas quickly bounced back from its first setback of the season, securing a resounding four-set victory over Far Eastern University-Diliman, 25-11, 23-25, 25-17, 25-17, in the UAAP Season 87 High School Boys’ Volleyball Tournament on Saturday at the Paco Arena in Manila.
The Junior Golden Spikers had previously suffered a defeat against the University of the East Junior Warriors, losing 23-25, 25-19, 18-25, 25-19, 11-15 last Wednesday, which snapped their impressive seven-match winning streak.
Meanwhile, the reigning champions, National University Nazareth School Bullpups, continued their dominant performance, defeating the Junior Green Spikers in just 56 minutes, with a score of 25-11, 25-13, 25-16, marking their sixth consecutive victory and allowing them to share the top spot.
Both squads now hold an 8-1 win-loss record.
“Syempre mabigat ‘yung pagkatalo namin noon kasi nawala ‘yung winning streak namin, pero as [pag]-motivate ko sa mga bata, at least na talo na tayo sa umpisa. Naramdaman natin kung ano ‘yung sakit na naramdaman natin sa pagkatalo natin,” said UST head coach Clarence Esteban.
“Sinabi ko lang na regroup lang ulit, balik tayo sa basic, balik tayo sa plano, ‘yun lang ang sinabi ko.”
UST took control early in the fourth set, racing to a 16-9 lead and putting them within striking distance of victory.
Although Gian Panes briefly kept the FEU-Diliman team in the match with a strong attack, Paolo Medino closed it out with a decisive kill, securing a bounce-back win for the Junior Golden Spikers.
Sean Cruz showcased his versatility, contributing significantly to both offense and defense, recording 17 points, including 12 attacks and five blocks, in the contest that lasted for an hour and 24 minutes.
John Paul Bautista and Medino also made noteworthy contributions, adding 13 and 12 points, respectively.
On the opposing side, Kenneth Maliwanag stood out for the Baby Tamaraws, finishing with 14 points, 13 of which came from attacks, in their hard-fought loss.
The Baby Tamaraws now hold a record of 4-5, sitting one game behind the Baby Falcons.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Miguel Egger emerged as the top scorer for the defending champions, contributing 12 points, including nine attacks and an ace.
Xandrex Ragusta and Matthew Abut provided solid support with nine and seven points, respectively.
Later that day, UE continued its winning momentum by overpowering Ateneo de Manila University in four sets, 25-10, 20-25, 25-12, 25-12, to improve to 7-2 and secure solo third.
After a surprising second-set defeat, UE regrouped and carried their momentum into the fourth set, quickly building a 10-point lead at 18-8.
As the Junior Warriors tightened their grip on the match, they scored the final four points with a combination of attacks from Gian Flestado, Aaron Ancheta, and Kenzie Caro, with Caro ultimately sealing the match with a finishing kill.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Lance Babon was instrumental for UE, dominating the court with 14 points from 10 attacks and three aces in a match that lasted an hour and 12 minutes.
Christian Antonio matched his output, also contributing 14 points, including nine attacks, one block, and seven digs.
Adamson University capped off the day’s action with a convincing sweep of University of the Philippines Integrated School, 25-9, 25-12, 25-12, securing their position in solo fourth with a 5-4 win-loss record.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Jims Ducusin led the Baby Falcons with 11 points, all from attacks, in the 48-minute match, while Kirk Partosa followed closely with seven markers from five kills and two aces.
The Blue Eagles fell to 1-8, remaining in seventh place, while the Fighting Maroons dropped to 0-9.
