THE UST Golden Spikers took a commanding straight set victory against the UE Red Warriors, 25-17, 25-18, 25-19 in the UAAP Season 87 men’s volleyball tournament on Saturday, Feb. 22 at the FilOil EcoOil Centre.
Even without back-to-back MVP Josh Ybañez, last season’s finalist showcased their prowess to bounce back from their season opener loss.
“I simply focused on keeping our team composed—we can win even without Josh,” open hitter Gboy de Vega told The Flame.
Rookie sensation JJ Macam rose to the occasion to fill in the gaps left by Ybañez, contributing a 14-point performance built on 12 attacks and two blocks.
The battle kicked off tightly with both teams exchanging leads. UST found its rhythm after middle blocker Popoy Colinares shut down John Steve Aligayon’s attack, 10-9.
UE tried to retaliate but UST pulled away mid-set courtesy of Trevor Valera’s five consecutive points, 21-13. Despite both teams trading errors in the later stages, the Golden Spikers delivered a 25-17 set-win.
The second frame followed a similar script as both squads started aggressively. UST held a slim three-point advantage early through a quick hit from Valera, 7-4.
The Red Warriors managed to trim the Golden Spikers’ advantage, but the latter regained momentum with consecutive points from off-the-bench rookie Al-Bhukarie Sali, 17-13.
Colinares then delivered a quick attack to bring UST to a 2-0 set lead, 25-18.
Down two sets to none, the Golden Spikers stumbled early with several errors, creating a tense start. However, they pulled ahead as opposite hitter Jayrack de la Noche was on a roll, burying the Red Warriors to a four-point deficit, 15-11.
The Recto squad attempted to claw back but rookies Macam and Sali proved too formidable, widening the Espana-based squad’s advantage to six, 21-16.
Despite committing 27 errors compared to UE’s 14, UST sealed the final set, 25-19.
Three other players reached double digits for the Golden Spikers as De la Noche and Colinares tallied 12 points each, while De Vega added 10.
For the Red Warriors, Roy Piojo was the sole player to notch double figures, finishing with 13 points.
“We will give our all. We’re really hungry for these games,” De Vega said.
The Golden Spikers look to extend their winning ways as they face the DLSU Green Spikers on Wednesday, Feb. 26, at the Mall of Asia Arena. F
