UST Junior Golden Spikers roll past Adamson
The UST Junior Golden Spikers are still perfect. A 25-23, 25-22, 25-19 sweep of Adamson University on Sunday pushed their unbeaten run to nine games in the UAAP Season 89 High School Boys' Volleyball Tournament, and a Final Four spot is now within reach.
The match was played at the FEU-Diliman Gym in Quezon City. In the UST vs Adamson matchup, the Junior Golden Spikers never let the Baby Falcons settle, closing out each set with a late push.
The third set was the cleanest example. Karl Escobal and Bernard Capuno fired consecutive attacks to build a seven-point cushion, and Adamson never clawed back. Jireh Torotoro hammered the match-point kill before Lance Babon sent a service error long to end it.
Escobal and Capuno carry the load
Escobal finished with 20 points on 19 kills and a block, plus nine receptions. Capuno added 10 points on seven attacks, two blocks, and an ace, and passed 16 excellent receptions.
Carl Jamer Detoyato chipped in eight digs and seven excellent receptions. Setter Chester Esteban ran the offense with 22 excellent sets and five points of his own in a match that took just 64 minutes.
Coach Clarence Esteban said the rough edges have smoothed out as the season has worn on. "We started rough, then the players' movement became fine," he said. "Over the length of the league, their movement has been tuned up. They talk more, communicate more inside, and they're more aggressive now."
He added that the staff is deliberately raising the temperature at training: "We're pushing the intensity even higher to prepare for high intensity in the game."
Babon paced Adamson with 15 points on 14 attacks and a block. The Baby Falcons dropped to 4-5, a game behind National University-Nazareth School in the Final Four chase.
FEU-Diliman keeps a grip on second
Far Eastern University-Diliman made it two wins in a row with a 25-19, 25-17, 25-12 sweep of University of the Philippines Integrated School. The Baby Tamaraws are 8-1 and sitting second.
FEU-D raced to an 11-2 lead in the third set and never let go, even as UPIS picked up points off Baby Tamaraw miscues and Prince Jimenez's attacks. Neoh Fallorina brought FEU-D to match point and Rene Sabellano sealed it with a kill.
Kenneth Maliwanag led the way with 12 points on eight attacks, two blocks, and two aces. Samuel Hopkins added seven on five kills and two blocks. Alwyn Abujen tallied 12 excellent digs and setter Karch Carolino had 14 excellent sets in a 55-minute match.
Coach Rene Dulay wasn't fully satisfied. "That's not our expectation yet. In the first set we relaxed a bit, that's why I told the boys we can't play like that. But anyway, a win is a win," he said.
"Our matches are getting heavier. Our mindset right now is we must win. More wins to get into the Final Four. Our preparation is continuous. We have to improve on the small things we neglect."
Jimenez finished with 16 points on 11 attacks, four blocks, and an ace for UPIS, which fell to 3-6 but stayed sixth.
UE bounce back, NUNS stay in the hunt
University of the East shook off its loss to UST by beating De La Salle Zobel in four sets, 25-19, 22-25, 25-18, 25-19, to move to 6-3 and hold third place.
Jack Parde led a balanced attack with nine points on six kills, two blocks, and an ace. Nathan Evangelista, Gian Baldoza, Emman Marcelino, and Steven David added seven apiece. Setter Mharl Dullete put up 15 excellent sets and six points across an hour and 23 minutes, with Khian Gorospe contributing 10 excellent sets.
Brett Urriquia scored 14 points on 13 attacks and a block for DLSZ, which slipped to 1-8 with a fifth straight defeat.
NUNS, meanwhile, cruised past Ateneo de Manila University 25-9, 25-13, 25-8. Allen Almodovar led with 10 points on eight kills and two aces, while Ronnie Millan and Al Raquib Dais chipped in eight apiece. Jemil Ocampo registered six excellent sets in the 54-minute match.
Ateneo is still winless after nine games and edging closer to elimination.
Where the Final Four race stands
UST leads at 9-0, with FEU-Diliman at 8-1 and UE at 6-3. NUNS holds fourth at 5-4, one game clear of Adamson at 4-5. UPIS sits sixth at 3-6, DLSZ is 1-8, and Ateneo is 0-9.
For UST, the story is simple: keep the service pressure on and the errors down, and that semifinal ticket gets punched soon. For everyone else, the margins are getting thin. Who blinks first?
The original report on this match was published by tiebreakertimes.com.ph.
