Almost allowing another catastrophic collapse that nearly defined their season, the University of Santo Tomas Tiger Spikers pulled through in the end, quelling the Adamson University Soaring Falcons, 25-20, 25-23, 19-25, 23-25, 15-11, at the FilOil Flying V Centre.
A five-game losing streak midway through the UAAP Season 80 Men’s Volleyball tournament almost doomed the Tiger Spikers. Going down to sixth in the standings, UST mustered crucial wins, including this do-or-die match.
After claiming the first two sets, the Tiger Spikers succumbed to late errors and miscues in the next two. UST seemed in control of the decider, grabbing an 11-6 lead following an ace from setter Tim Tajanlangit.
But the Falcons clawed back, trimming the deficit down to one, 11-10, thanks to clutch hitting from JP Yude. On the verge of blowing another lead, UST veteran Arnold Bautista pulled his squad to the finish line, scoring three of UST’s last four points.
“Nag-take charge ‘yung senior, si Bautista. Kaya ano eh, confident pa rin ako noong fifth set, andoon ‘yung Bautista sa loob. Kasi nawawala ‘yung setter. ‘Pag nawala ‘yung setter, definitely wala na ‘yung dalawang middle,” said UST head coach Odjie Mamon, adding that their win greatly added to his school’s general championship hopes.
“As far as our goals are concerned, naka-achieve na kami. Kasi dalawa lang ang goal namin, it’s to maintain yung number four-ranking, and come up ahead of La Salle for the overall, general championship. So achieve na ‘yun, whatever we may achieve in the future, over-achieve na kami,” the UST lifer added.
Joshua Umandal topped the Tiger Spikers with 20 points, while Bautista finished with 17.
Yude and libero Rence Melgar played their final match for the Soaring Falcons. Yude managed 20 points, while Melgar tallied 18 digs and 20 receptions.
UST move on to their next match on Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, taking on the twice-to-beat National University Bulldogs.
The Scores
UST (3) – Umandal 20, Bautista 17, Carodan 13, Medina 10, Sumagaysay 9, Tajanlangit 6, Arbasto 0, Casillan 0, Sawal (L)
AdU (2) – Yude 20, Labang 18, Pablico 16, Bello 7, Miranda 6, Amburgo 1, Melgar (L)
