UST hopes to extend streak in Ash Wednesday matchup against UP

c/o UAAP Media Team

UAAP Season 87 Collegiate Volleyball Standings

Women
NU 4 0
UST 3 1
DLSU 2 2
FEU 2 2
AdU 2 2
UP 2 2
Ateneo 1 3
UE 0 4

Men
FEU 4 0
UST 3 1
NU 3 1
DLSU 2 2
Ateneo 2 2
AdU 1 3
UP 1 3
UE 0 4

Games today at the SM Mall of Asia Arena

10 a.m. – UE vs FEU (Men)
12 noon – UST vs UP (Men)
2 p.m. – UE vs FEU (Women)
4 p.m. – UST vs UP (Women)

UNIVERSITY of Santo Tomas seeks to solidify its hold of second place as it tangles with University of the Philippines, while Far Eastern University takes on University of the East as it shoots for its first winning streak in the UAAP Season 87 women's volleyball tournament at the SM Mall of Asia Arena later today.

The Tigresses are facing a trap game against the Fighting Maroons, who have lost two in a row after opening the season with two straight wins, at 4 p.m.

Playing in the second of a week-long three-match stretch, the Lady Tamaraws do not want to overthink as they are focusing on the winless Lady Warriors first at 2 p.m.

Yani Fernandez, coach Kungfu Reyes' trusted assistant, is aware that UP elevates its game when it always faces UST. The Fighting Maroons, though, have lost their last five meetings with the Tigresses since the second round of the 2022 bubble tournament.

"Ang mahirap kasi na part sa UP iba iba yung tao nila eh kaya yung scoutring din namin siyempre talagang hulaan, talagang aaralin mo lahat ng rotation kada set kung sino sa tingin namin yung first outside hitter o kung sinong gagamiting middle so yun. Titiyagain na lang din namin especially pagdating sa scouting report ng stats namin," said Fernandez.

("The difficult part about UP is that they have different players rotating, so our scouting is really a guessing game. We have to study every rotation in each set—who we think will be the first outside hitter or which middle blocker they will use. So, we just have to be patient, especially when analyzing our scouting report and stats.")

With a 3-1 record, second-running UST tries to keep within striking distance of defending champion National University, which is undefeated in four matches.

A loss to the Tigresses would be deflating for the Fighting Maroons, who have shown a lot of promise under new coach Benson Bocboc, who emphasized the need of his 14 players to be ready anytime.

"In behalf of my teammates, ako na mismo ang nagsasabi na I'm so thankful sa trust na ibinibigay sa amin ni coach, hindi lang sa anim na nagsa-start, kundi para sa lahat," said captain Irah Jaboneta.

("On behalf of my teammates, I personally want to say that I’m very thankful for the trust that coach gives us—not just to the six starters, but to everyone on the team.")

UP is locked in a four-way tie with De La Salle, FEU and Adamson University from third to sixth spots at 2-2, just above Ateneo's 1-3 record.

The Lady Tamaraws' campaign has been on a roller coaster, having lost to the Fighting Maroons, squandering a 2-1 set lead before bowing to the Lady Bulldogs in five, and surviving a gritty Blue Eagles side also in five sets.

FEU coach Tina Salak is taking things step by step to accomplish the team goals.

"At the end of the day, kailangan namin magtrabaho ulit. Move forward tayo, goal-setting. Di mawawala yung goal palagi, and tuwing nagttraining kami, ayaw ko na pagusapan yung loss. So, kasi nagkakaron lang ng magnet eh. Ayaw ko nang nagkakaron ng magnet na namimirror natin yung past, kasi puwede ko na baguhin today. So ganoon kami sa training," said Salak.

("At the end of the day, we need to get back to work. We move forward and set our goals. The goal will always be there, and whenever we train, I don’t want to dwell on the loss. Because losses can become like a magnet—they attract negativity. I don’t want that magnet pulling us back to the past because I can change things today. That’s how we approach training.)

The Lady Tamaraws have a simple routine, to move forward following a tough match, get the needed recovery and training for the next opponent.

"Kasi tinuturuan ko rin sila mag-let go. Pero kailangan din namin na matuto dun sa past namin na mistakes but, yung mga past mistakes na yun, tinatrabaho namin sa training. Doon kami nagsosolusyon. Doon kami gumagawa ng solusyon, sa ensayo," she added.

("Because I also teach them to let go. But we also need to learn from our past mistakes, and we work on those mistakes during training. That’s where we find solutions. That’s where we make adjustments—during practice.)

Down with a 0-4 record, the 11-strong UE will just keep on trying to secure the elusive win as the burden of a shorthanded roster has started to set in.

In the men's division, pacesetting FEU seeks to extend its perfect run to five matches as it goes up against UE at 10 a.m., while UST aims to secure solo second in the 12 noon contest with UP.

Ranged against the last-placed Red Warriors, the Tamaraws hope to sustain their impressive play as they move on from a challenging week.

"We have to prepare. Hindi namin sila pwede balewalain kasi lumalaban din naman sila. Ang mindset lang doon is we have to respect yung kalaban mo regardless of our standing. Tuloy-tuloy na kasi dapat yung ensayo namin. With the game on Wednesday, hopefully we can still win and syempre pagttrabahuin at paghihirapan namin ‘yon dahil hindi naman nila ibibigay ‘yon. We will still prepare for everything," said FEU assistant coach Rene Dulay.

"We have to prepare. We can’t take them lightly because they are also fighting hard. The mindset should always be to respect your opponent, regardless of our standing. Our training should be continuous. With the game on Wednesday, hopefully, we can still win, and of course, we will work hard for it because they won’t just hand it to us. We will still prepare for everything.)

As the Golden Spikers, tied with five-peat seeking Bulldogs at 3-1, patiently await the return of reigning MVP Josh Ybañez from injury, assistant mentor Ben Mape is looking forward for the team to sustain its high level of play.

"Nagkakaroon na ng maturity yung mga bata pagdating sa mga pressured game at end game. Medyo mas naging consistent na yung moves nila ngayon tsaka yung presence of mind. Tsaka yung skills namin, hindi na nagllapse. Paunti-unti na yung consistency," said Mape.

("The kids are developing maturity when it comes to pressured games and endgame situations. Their moves have become more consistent now, as well as their presence of mind. Our skills are no longer lapsing, and our consistency is gradually improving.)