THE UST Golden Spikers cruised past the UP Fighting Maroons, 25-22, 25-18, 25-16, to notch their fifth consecutive win in the UAAP Season 88 men’s volleyball tournament on Wednesday, March 11, at the Mall of Asia Arena.
After the win, the Golden Spikers moved into a tie with the defending champions NU Bulldogs for the second seed, both with a 5-1 win-loss record.
Meanwhile, UP slipped to a three-way tie with Ateneo and DLSU with a 2-4 slate.
UST team captain and setter Dux Yambao dished out 18 excellent sets to help his team complete the sweep. He also had a block.
“[This game] is important for the team since it boosted our morale because this is our fifth win,” Yambao told The Flame.
“For sure, our training tomorrow will be good since we came from a win,” he added, as they look to end their Round 1 campaign on a high note when they face the league-leading Tamaraws on Saturday, March 14, at the same venue.
The España squad established a lead early in the match after star spiker Josh Ybañez fired a down-the-line kill, 11-6.
Despite some slip-ups late in the set, the Golden Spikers maintained control of the opener as Ybañez and middle blocker Trevor Valera launched attacks for a 25-22 set win.
UST capitalized on UP’s miscues to build an 8-2 blitz midway through the second set, 18-13.
Rookie spiker Gab Hernandez and opposite hitter Sherwin Umandal came off the bench late in the set to provide the finishing touches, 25-18.
It was an erroneous third frame for both squads, but back-to-back kills and a block from Umandal sealed the sweep for UST, 25-16.
Ybañez led the Golden Spikers with a double-double performance of 13 points and 14 receptions. JJ Macam and Joncriz Ayco had nine markers each.
Meanwhile, UP team captain Olayemi Raheem paced his team in the loss with 12 attacks. F
