THE UST Golden Spikers ended the elimination round with a bang, stunning the six-peat-seeking NU Bulldogs in four sets, 30-28, 25-17, 22-25, 25-23, to force a playoff for the No. 2 spot in the UAAP Season 88 men’s volleyball tournament on Wednesday, April 22, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Coming off the bench, Sherwin Umandal scored all nine of his points late in the fourth set to spark the Golden Spikers’ rally, as the win earned UST a shot at the remaining twice-to-beat advantage against NU after both squads finished the eliminations at 10-4.
“This is a big deal for me because it’s not easy to perform off the bench and play in a crucial game,” Umandal said postgame.
“My teammates’ support in the game means so much for me to perform well,” the opposite spiker added.
It was two-time MVP Josh Ybañez who powered the Golden Spikers to victory with a monster double-double of 27 points and 26 excellent receptions.
Momentum swung back and forth in the opener until Ybañez launched a kill to put the Golden Spikers up by two, 23-21.
Varied attacks from Buds Buddin kept NU afloat in the extended set, but a kill and a timely ace by Gboy De Vega gave the UST the first frame, 30-28
The Golden Spikers stayed hot as De Vega fired a kill off the block to end a long rally midway through the second set, 18-14.
UST then unleashed a fiery 7-3 blitz capped off by an Ybañez kill for a 2-0 set lead, 25-17.
It was a tighter affair in the third set as NU’s Jade Disquitado hammered back-to-back kills that triggered a 7-3 blitz to tie the game, 17-all.
Timely contributions from the bench proved crucial for the Jhocson squad, as Jan Abanilla and Jonas Hernandez put the finishing touches to stay alive in the match, 25-22.
Despite being down by as much as seven, UST was quick to respond as Sherwin Umandal provided spark from the bench, scoring five attacks in a 10-2 barrage to take a slim 16-15 edge.
Umandal continued to be a problem for the Bulldogs, backing up Ybañez to claim the win.
Trevor Valera added 17 markers for UST.
Leo Ordiales and Buddin combined for 32 points to pace the defending champions in the loss.
The virtual best-of-three series between the two squads is yet to be scheduled. F
