UAAP: UST, FEU-Diliman punch tickets to boys’ volleyball Final 4

MANILA — University of Santo Tomas and Far Eastern University-Diliman took care of business against separate opponents to secure their Final 4 spots in the UAAP Season 89 boys’ volleyball tournament, Friday at the Paco Arena.

UST bounced back from its first loss of the season by sweeping UP Integrated School, 25-14, 25-14, 25-13, to improve to 10-1 and remain tied for first place.

FEU-Diliman, meanwhile, ensured that they remained tied for the top spot after making quick work of La Salle-Zobel, 25-16, 25-19, 25-15.

UST began pulling away from UPIS at 11-7, capitalizing on the Junior Fighting Maroons’ errors to string together five unanswered points. 

The Junior Golden Spikers continued to widen the gap through successive scoring runs before Kirby Aguas’ kill brought them to match point. Justin Jusayan briefly extended UPIS’ resistance, but Aguas answered with another kill to seal the victory.

“Wala munang hype na Final Four. Tapusin muna naming eliminations saka kami tumingin doon sa Final Four,” said UST head coach Clarence Esteban.

UST showcased its balanced offense, with five players scoring at least six points. Jireh Torotoro led the way with 10 points on nine attacks and a block in the 52-minute match. Karl Escobal added eight, while Bernard Capuno, Markus Julian, and Aguas chipped in six apiece.

Prince Jimenez and Jusayan paced UPIS with nine points apiece, all from attacks, but their efforts were not enough to prevent the Junior Fighting Maroons from dropping to 3-8. 

UPIS remains sixth in the standings and has officially been eliminated from Final Four contention.

In FEU-D’s victory, the Baby Tamaraws broke the set open with a five-point run, highlighted by consecutive kills from Kenneth Maliwanag that turned a 13-9 lead into an 18-9 advantage. Successive errors by DLSZ further widened the gap before FEU-D closed out the match with three straight points, capped by Neoh Fallorina’s ace following attacks from Fallorina and One Gimeno.

“Ang aming mindset right now is to finish the second round nang maganda yung record. Now if we will be on top, thank you.  Kung di kami maging on top at least we did our best kung ano magiging standing namin doon,” said FEU-D head coach Rene Dulay.

Maliwanag continued to lead the way for the Baby Tamaraws, finishing with 15 points on 12 attacks and three blocks. Tyler Ramos contributed 13 points on 11 attacks and two blocks in the 58-minute match.

Brett Urriquia and Andrei Montillano led DLSZ with nine points apiece. The Junior Green Spikers, however, fell to 2-9 and remained seventh, officially ending their Final Four hopes.

National University-Nazareth School also continued to build momentum, outlasting Adamson University, 25-18, 30-32, 25-14, 25-21, for its third straight win and a share of third place.

The Bullpups displayed their offensive depth, with four players reaching double-digit scoring. Al-Raquib Dais led the way with 16 points on 13 attacks, two blocks, and an ace in the hour-and-38-minute match. Ronnie Millan added 14 points, while Almodovar and Kiel Biscocho contributed 13 and 12, respectively.

For Adamson, Lance Babon finished with 23 points on 22 attacks and a block, while James Bernabe tallied 21 points, all from attacks. The loss kept the Baby Falcons in fifth place at 5-6.

Defending champion University of the East, meanwhile, made quick work of Ateneo, 25-20, 25-18, 25-19, to strengthen its bid for a Final Four berth.

Nathan Evangelista led the Junior Warriors with 10 points on six attacks, three aces, and a block in the 56-minute match. Steven David backed him up with nine points on six attacks and three aces.

Antonio Avendano paced Ateneo with nine points, all from attacks, as the Blue Eagles remained winless after 11 games.