UST MAIN gunners Angge Poyos and Josh Ybañez have emerged as the league’s top MVP contenders as they lead the statistical race in their respective divisions at the halfway mark of the UAAP Season 88 volleyball eliminations.
According to the partial and unofficial statistical points tally after Round 1, Poyos leads the women’s MVP race with 156.2 statistical points (SPs).
The open spiker holds a slim advantage over Adamson’s Shaina Nitura, who has 147.2 SPs, while DLSU star Angel Canino follows closely with 142.8 SPs.
Nitura currently tops all scorers with 132 points, ahead of teammate Frances Mordi (129) and Poyos (111).
The Tigresses’ star, however, stands out in efficiency, posting a 39.92% success rate — the highest among outside hitters in the league.
With a 4-3 record, the Golden Tigresses sit in the middle of the pack, sharing third place with Adamson and FEU.
The España volleybelles endured a rough stretch that included losses to NU, DLSU and Adamson, but avoided a disastrous first round after bouncing back with wins over UP and FEU.
As a team, UST ranks third in attacking efficiency at 33.3%, trailing only DLSU and Adamson. The Tigresses also sit third in serving and setting efficiency, sixth in blocking and seventh in the digging department.
In the men’s division, the two-time MVP Ybañez continues to spearhead the MVP race with 159 SPS, maintaining a lead over NU’s Buds Buddin (153.7 SPs) and Leo Ordiales (152 SPs).
Ybañez ranks third among the league’s top scorers with 121 points behind a 32.3% attack success rate, following UP’s foreign student-athlete Raheem Olayemi and UE’s Raquim Aceron.
The Alas libero further proves his all-around value on the defensive end, ranking second in reception efficiency with 65%, tallying 91 excellent receptions to only trail FEU libero Ven Ceballos, who leads the category with a 67% efficiency rate.
Team-wise, the Golden Spikers are the second-best receivers with a 49.67% reception efficiency, just behind the top-seeded Tamaraws. They also rank third in attack efficiency, third in service aces, sixth in blocking and fifth in both digs and sets.
UST closed the first round tied for second place with NU at 5-2, though it absorbed losses in its opening game against NU and in its latest match against FEU.
The España-based squads will look to open the second round stronger against Ateneo and DLSU, on March 21 and 25, respectively, before the league heads into Easter break. F
