By: Justine Anne Gaerlan
Defending champion National University-Nazareth School and University of Santo Tomas scored contrasting wins to continue to share the early lead in the UAAP Season 87 High School Boys’ Volleyball Tournament on Saturday at the Paco Arena in Manila.
The Bullpups overcame a rough patch in the second set to beat the Adamson Baby Falcons, 25-21, 27-25, 25-14 victory while the Junior Golden Spikers breezed past the Ateneo Blue Eagles, 25-9, 25-6, 25-8, to go to 2-0 in the standings.
NUNS head coach Edgar Barroga reflected on the Bullpups’ early success, stating, “’Yung program siguro namin, tuloy-tuloy lang namin, ‘yung mga weaknesses namin siguro itutuloy namin na i-improve pa rin. And definitely, ‘yung attitude kasi kapag medyo nakakalamang medyo naglalandian na sa loob ng court. Siguro ide-develop namin ‘yun and more on perfection kami sa mga errors namin.”
The Bullpups took control early in the match, executing a decisive 9-2 run that culminated in a service ace from Matthew Abut, giving them a commanding 15-4 lead.
Although Adamson attempted to regain momentum after losing a close second set, it faltered with late-game errors in the third.
Abut led NUNS with 13 points, including nine kills and three blocks, while Kalel Ronquillo facilitated the Bullpups’ offense with 15 excellent sets.
“We have a conditioning program na we see to it na hindi sila mabu-burnout or magsasawa sa lahat ng gagawin namin so we’re doing a lot of drills na lagi silang excited. Through that siguro, mame-maintain namin ‘yung conditions nila tsaka ‘yung composure nila,” added Barroga after the match that lasted for an hour and 16 minutes.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
The Junior Golden Spikers, on the other hand, showcased their dominance in their match against the Blue Eagles which needed just 48 minutes to finish.
Jon Paulo Medino tallied 13 points, including 11 kills and five digs, while Rainier Lorayes matched his scoring output with 11 kills and two service aces.
Adamson slipped to 2-1, while Ateneo continues to search for its first win, standing at 0-3.
Jims Ducusin contributed 13 points on 13 kills for the Soaring Falcons.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
In the girls’ division, De La Salle Zobel achieved its first win by sweeping Ateneo De Manila University, 25-13, 25-19, 25-13.
Kylie Celada led the Junior Lady Spikers’ offense with 15 points, including 13 attacks and one block, while Aislinn Alemaña contributed 10 points.
Defensively, Angel Cenizal anchored DLSZ with 18 excellent digs.
Nicola Ladignon led Ateneo with six points.
With this victory, DLSZ improved its record to 1-1, while Ateneo remains winless at 0-2.
