THE UST Golden Spikers fell short in capturing their first win in the V-League Collegiate Challenge after suffering a four-set defeat to the Letran Knights, 26-24, 22-25, 25-16, 25-23, on Sunday, Aug. 16, at the Gameville Central Park.
Despite UST being able to even the match one set apiece the second set, the Knights leaned on the Golden Spiker’s untimely miscues, committing 38 total errors as opposed to Letran’s 21.
“There was no leader on the court, there were miscommunications, and they were playing outside of our system,” Head coach Odjie Mamon told The Flame.
After a back-and-forth opening affair that brought UST to an early 24-22 lead, the Knights emerged with a 4-0 run to flip the switch, as consecutive points from Felix Bermido sealed the first set in the hands of Letran, 24-26.
Both squads exchanged blows early in the second salvo, but the Golden Spikers then sparked a 7-3 blitz to gain a 14-10 advantage.
The defensive efforts of the Knights quickly ignited seven unanswered points of their own, but UST stayed in control as an attack from Trevor Valera capped off a late 11-5 blitz to claim their first set win, 25-22.
The Intramuros-squad dictated pace throughout the entirety of the third frame, as back-to-back attacks from Christer Ambrocio and Vince Himzon ushered the Knights to a comfortable 25-16 set win.
Both teams traded points throughout the fourth set, as a hit by Joncriz Ayco off-the-block trimmed the UST deficit to one, 18-19.
Despite UST inching closer to a decider through a Valera block point, a pipe attack from Himzon secured the Knights its first tournament victory, 25-23.
Dave Lardizabal and Max Lopez led the Knights to the win with a combined 30 points built off of 26 attacks.
Sophomore Kris Hernandez paced the Tigers in the loss with 17 markers, while Valera and Gboy de Vega chipped in a combined 25 points.
The Golden Spikers will look to claim their first win of the tournament when they go up against the Arellano Chiefs on Saturday, Aug. 29, at the same venue. F
