Tiger Spikers dispatch Blue Eagles, seal final four berth
Rob Andrew Dongiapon
The UST Tiger Spikers resumed their rampage in the second round of the UAAP Season 85 men’s volleyball tournament with a straight-set win over the Ateneo Blue Eagles, 25–23, 25–19, 25–21, to secure their final four seat at the Philsports Arena in Pasig, Saturday evening, April 15.
Missing head coach Odjie Mamon in the sidelines due to SEA Games commitment, the Tiger Spikers doused water on every surge the Blue Eagles exacted throughout, keeping the Katipunan-based team at bay before sealing the victory.
Josh Ybanez once again proved his brilliance with 15 points off 14 attacks, while Rainier Flor and Gboy De Vega added 13 and 12 markers, respectively, to lift the Tiger Spikers to their 10th win of the season.
Meanwhile, Dux Yambaohad a stellar performance in facilitating the net offense of UST, completing 22 excellent sets for the Tiger Spikers that was also short of star opposite spiker Jay Rack De La Noche due to, like Mamon, national team duties.
The Blue Eagles were kept within the tails of the Tiger Spikers from the get go — often only behind a point or two of UST for most of the matchup — before the España-based crew pulled away when it mattered the most.
It was most evident in the third set as both squads dealt to a knot at 19 before the Tiger Spikers stepped on the gas with back-to-back attacks by Charles Magpayo, who finished with nine points, a block by De Vega, and another two kills by Magpayo to set up the game-winning hit by Ybanez, turning a once deadlock to a 25–21 set victory.
Staying true to their long-running on-court dilemma, the Tiger Spikers gave up 29 points off errors, eight more than what Ateneo coughed up in the game.
UST will be back in action on Sunday versus the FEU Tamaraws at the Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday, April 23, for the first game of the quadruple header.
