University of Santo Tomas inched closer to a UAAP Season 87 Men’s Volleyball Final Four berth with a commanding 25-20, 25-17, 25-20 sweep of the already-eliminated University of the East on Saturday morning at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
With their fourth straight victory, the Golden Spikers improved to 8-4, solidifying their hold on solo third place in the eight-team field ahead of the DLSU Green Spikers. The win also reaffirmed their mastery over the Red Warriors, whom they also defeated in the first round last February 22.
Alongside La Salle, the 18-time UAAP men’s volleyball champions now stand a chance to complete the Final Four picture — provided Ateneo de Manila University falls to defending champion National University on Sunday, also at the Big Dome.
Should the Blue Eagles manage to pull off an upset, UST will need to secure a victory over the UP Fighting Maroons after the league’s eight-day Holy Week break to officially punch their ticket to a third consecutive semifinals appearance.
That match is on Wednesday, April 23, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
“I think yung preparation namin ngayon over our win streak, it’s geared to our specific opponent na. Nung first round kasi, puro kami internal preparations lang. Pero this time, we try to match up. May mga lapses, pero thankful na naffollow naman yung game plan,” said UST head coach Odjie Mamon.
The Red Warriors kept things tight in the third set, staying within a point at 20-19, but a timely off-the-block hit from two-time UAAP MVP Josh Ybañez and a quick attack from Trevor Valera pushed UST ahead, 22-19.
Rookie JJ Macam then came up with a crucial kill block, followed by an ace from Poy Colinares and a down-the-line finisher by Jayrack dela Noche to wrap up the match in just 84 minutes.
The second set told a different story as UST stormed to a 13-7 advantage, fueled by two attack errors from Roy Piojo, a backrow bomb from Gboy de Vega, and a solid block from Colinares. From there, the España-based squad cruised to a 2-0 set lead.
Ybañez once again led the charge with 15 points on a 15-of-34 attack clip, adding nine excellent receptions and six excellent digs. Colinares backed him up with 12 points from six attacks, four blocks, and two aces.
Dela Noche chipped in 10 points on eight kills, along with six digs, while Macam contributed eight points on six attacks and two blocks, to go with 12 excellent receptions and five digs.
Team captain Dux Yambao steered the offense with 17 excellent sets.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Meanwhile, the loss dropped the Red Warriors to 0-13, putting them on the brink of their first winless season since UAAP Season 80 in 2018.
Rookie Roy Piojo was limited to eight points on 8-of-37 attacking, while Raquim Aceron managed only five points on a 4-of-26 clip.
UE hopes to avoid a winless campaign when it takes on Ateneo in its final outing on Saturday, April 26, back at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
