By: Justine Anne Gaerlan
UNIVERSITY of Santo Tomas capped off an undefeated first-round campaign in the UAAP Season 87 High School Boys’ Volleyball Tournament with a grueling four-set victory over Far Eastern University-Diliman, winning 25-22, 23-25, 25-22, 25-22, on Saturday at the Paco Arena in Manila.
The fourth set was tightly contested, with neither team pulling ahead by more than three points.
With the Junior Golden Spikers leading 23-21, reigning MVP Joncriz Ayco powered through with a crucial attack to bring them to match point.
Kenneth Maliwanag kept the Baby Tamaraws alive with a clever tip, but Ayco delivered the final blow with a kill, clinching the 25-22 victory.
“Overwhelmed pa rin kami doon sa nangyayari, kasi sa nangyari samin last year medyo ano kami pero ngayon syempre masaya kami na nandiyan ngayon ‘yung ganyang klaseng numero na nakikita namin ngayon. Pero nire-remind ko nga ‘yung mga bata, numero lang ‘yan. Huwag tayo maging kumpiyansa, huwag tayo maging kampante na ganyan ang gagawin,” said UST head coach Clarence Esteban regarding their first-round sweep.
“Dapat mas lalo kaming magpursigi, mas lalo kami mas maghigpit dahil mas lalo kaming kailangan manalo nang manalo,” he added. “One game at a time pa rin naman ‘yung ine-aim namin dito, so pag nagkaroon ng sweep, sabi ko nga sa mga bata, bonus na lang namin ‘yun.”
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
In the lone girls’ match of the day, FEU-D foiled UST’s bid for a twin kill, rising to a share of the lead after escaping UST in a five-set nail-biter, 21-25, 25-21, 25-19, 21-25, 15-11.
The Baby Tamaraws ended the first round in a tie with National University Nazareth School at 5-1, closing out on top.
Rainier Lorayes dominated for the Junior Golden Spikers, tallying 21 points from 18 attacks and three blocks in a match that lasted one hour and 42 minutes.
Ayco contributed 17 points, while setter Jefferson Abalos efficiently directed the offense with 19 excellent sets.
Maliwanag led the Baby Tamaraws in their loss, scoring 19 points, including 15 kills and three blocks.
UST’s win brought their record to 7-0, while FEU-D slipped to a 3-4 record, placing them fifth.
Meanwhile, in a rematch of last season’s finals, defending champion NU-Nazareth reaffirmed its dominance over University of the East with a hard-fought straight-set victory, 25-20, 25-20, 29-27, to claim solo second place in the standings.
“Nagiging complacent sila kapag nakakalamang, kaya ‘yun ang nangyayari. Kita mo, muntik pa kami madali nung third set so kailangan lang i-motivate sila at the same time i-remind sila sa attitude nilang ‘yun sa ine-enjoy nila to the point na nawawala ‘yung laro nila,” said NU-Nazareth head coach Edgar Barroga.
“I should say medyo, actually naging lax pa kami nung natalo kami sa UST, but I’m happy dahil na-maintain namin ‘yung possible na twice-to-beat just in case na tuloy-tuloy. ‘Yun lang naman ang target namin, one and two [in the standings], para ma-enjoy namin ‘yung twice-to-beat namin,” he added.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Leading the Bullpups, Matthew Abut delivered a stellar performance with 14 points, comprising 12 attacks and two blocks, in a match that lasted one hour and 21 minutes.
Miguel Egger and John Dionela contributed 10 and nine points, respectively, while Kalel Ronquillo efficiently ran their offense with 13 excellent sets.
On the other side, Christian Antonio stood out for the Junior Warriors, finishing with 14 points on 13 attacks and an ace in their loss.
NU-Nazareth advanced to a 6-1 record, while UE fell to 5-2, placing them in third.
In girls’ action, Aleah Devosora led the Lady Baby Tamaraws’ offense with 20 points, consisting of 15 attacks, three aces, and two blocks, along with seven digs.
Raine Alonzo followed with 19 points, while Sheila Pascual contributed 16 points. Dennz Relox provided strong defensive support with 16 excellent digs.
Lianne Penuliar paced UST in the loss, notching 15 points from 12 attacks and two service aces.
The Lady Baby Tamaraws improved to a 5-1 record, tying with the Lady Bullpups, while the Junior Golden Tigresses’ back-to-back losses dropped them to joint third place with Adamson, holding a 4-2 record.
