UST solidifies postseason case in men's volleyball

c/o UAAP

The University of Santo Tomas bolstered their quest to secure a top-four spot in the UAAP Season 86 Men's Volleyball Tournament Wednesday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, dispatching the University of the Philippines, 25-13 25-22 25-21.

Josh Ybañez led the charge yet again in the straight sets victory, contributing 21 spikes, a couple of aces, while also tacking on five digs and ten receptions.

Gboy de Vega added thirteen points and eleven receptions, most of them coming in the second set.

Assistant coach Ben Mape shares, post-match, "Yung nangyayari sa team namin medyo nakukuha na namin yung rhythm kasi yun yung naging problema namin nung first round. This time, napag-aralan na namin yun during the break so na-focus namin yung communication with each other."

Lasting just 81 minutes, their third consecutive victory puts UST at 7-4, temporarily 1.5 games ahead of Ateneo, with the Blue Eagles currently in match against National University.

Looming ahead this coming Saturday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium is a matchup against league-leading Far Eastern University.

Mape says about this matchup, "Hindi namin ini-aim na bumawi. Ang ini-aim namin ay iperform ng mga bata yung best performance na meron sila kasi kailangan mapapunta kami sa position na makakapunta kami sa semis." The Golden Spikers lost their first round meeting against the Tamaraws in five sets.

As for the Fighting Maroons, they absorbed their 15th consecutive loss dating back to last season, dropping to 0-11 in this tournament.

Angelo Lagando paced the Diliman-based side with twelve points, while Jaivee Malabanan had ten points, nine receptions, and four digs.

Already eliminated from contention, UP will attempt to secure their first win on Saturday against Adamson University, who currently stands at 4-6.