THE UST Golden Spikers absorbed their first defeat in the 2025 V-League men’s Collegiate Challenge after bowing down to the NU Bulldogs in a gruelling five-set clash, 19-25, 24-26, 25-16, 25-14, 17-19, on Tuesday, Aug. 19, at the Paco Arena.
After bowing out in the National Developmental Sports League semifinals early in the day, UST ran out of steam and struggled to complete the reverse sweep.
“Not that I’m trying to come up with a reason [as to why we lost] but our game earlier, which reached a fourth set, in the morning really took a toll on us for this game,” UST captain and setter Dux Yambao told The Flame.
“In the last part of the fifth set, our errors started to show, especially in the last three points of the match, that’s where we lost,” he added.
The Bulldogs seized control early as rookie Yuan Mendoza pierced through the defense for an 8-4 cushion.
NU maintained its grip, capitalizing on a net violation to close out the set, 25-19
The second frame was a seesaw battle until NU surged to a 4-0 blitz off an Andrei Delicana error for a 16-12 edge.
The España squad fought back later in the set behind Gboy De Vega and Trevor Valera leading the charge, tying the game at 24-all.
However, a service error from De Vega and a block from Jeffe Gallego sealed NU’s two-set advantage, 26-24.
On the verge of being swept, UST middle blockers Valera and Sean Cruz sparked an 8-3 lead to begin the third set.
The Golden Spikers sustained their offensive momentum to extend the match, 25-16.
Building off its momentum in the previous frame, UST established a 7-0 run for a 23-13 cushion.
An attack error from Mendoza brought the Golden Spikers to set point before Al-Bhukarie Sali’s spike pushed the match to a sudden death, 25-14.
Both teams duked it out in the decider until UST lost its composure behind a backrow violation from De Vega and an overcooked Macam hit. NU took advantage of the errors to claim the win.
De Vega paced UST with 23 points on 19 attacks, two service aces and two blocks. Sali and Valera notched 15 and 12 markers, respectively.
Mendoza powered NU with 16 attacks, one block and a service ace.
The Golden Spikers dropped to 3-1 win-loss record and are set to face the undefeated DLSU Green Spikers on Tuesday, Aug. 26, at the same venue. F – Johann Paulus Coronel
