Consistency is key for UST’s Angge Poyos and Josh Ybañez as they continue to display stellar performances in the resumption of the UAAP Season 86 Women’s and Men’s Volleyball Tournaments.
Coming off a 10-day Holy Week break, the UST stars hardly missed a beat, showcasing their scoring prowess to lead their respective squads into the Final Four and closer to the semifinals of the women’s and men’s plays, respectively.
For the third time this season, Poyos and Ybañez earned the Collegiate Press Corps’ UAAP Players of the Week, presented by San Miguel Corporation for the period April 3 to April 4.
The 5-foot-8 rookie Poyos put up another impressive night on April 3 by resetting her rookie scoring record to 31 points, surpassing UE spiker Casiey Dongallo’s 30-point output and matching former Tigress Eya Laure’s 31 points in Season 84 back in 2022.
By pouring in 27 attacks, three aces, and a block, the Golden Tigresses’ super rookie, on the heels of their lone loss to NU, brought back the team’s winning ways with a 22-25, 25-20, 26-24, 25-20 win over the Adamson Lady Falcons to secure a Final Four berth for the fourth consecutive season.
“Thankful kasi comeback game for us kasi natalo kami nung last game namin against NU. Thankful kasi nakapag-contribute pa rin ako sa team,” said Poyos, now with the most Players of the Week accolades so far.
She made the most of the Holy Week break to recharge physically and mentally, leading to her explosive performance and UST’s ninth win in 10 games.
“Nagka-break, ginawa ko yun, nag-reflect ako at nag-recover. Thankful kasi nakabalik at thankful din ako sa mga teammates ko kina ate kasi patuloy silang kumakapit at lumalaban para sa team,” Poyos said.
Poyos was voted as the unanimous winner of the weekly citation, supported by minor sponsors Discovery Suites and Jockey, beating La Salle’s Shevana Laput, and Maicah Larroza, FEU’s Faida Bakanke, and NU’s Bella Belen.
Meanwhile, Ybañez delivered once again for the Golden Spikers with another triple-double performance of 25 points, 12 excellent digs, and 27 excellent receptions to resume their second-round campaign with a 25-17, 25-19, 23-25, 25-23 victory over the Adamson Falcons.
Buoyed by their big five-set win over defending champion National U, the reigning MVP led UST to its second straight win, tightening its grip on the solo fourth place with a 6-4 record.
Ybañez, who won the MVP and Rookie of the Year last season, gave credit to his coaches for their trust and non-stop support for him and his teammates.
“Masaya din po ako kasi lalo na yung third set and fourth set alam kong may mga nakita yung coaches na hindi namin nakikita and iyon yung pagtutuunan namin ng pansin during the trainings,” he said.
Ybañez earned all the media votes, besting FEU’s Andrei Delicana, DLSU’s Eco Adajar, and NU’s Jade Disquitado for his third straight Player of the Week award.
