THE UST Tiger Spikers bagged bronze after blasting the National University Bulldogs, 21-25, 30-28, 28-26, 25-21, in the 1st Premier Volleyball League at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan Saturday.
The Bulldogs missed the services of hitters Bryan Bagunas, Fauzi Ismail and James Natividad who were playing in the UAAP beach volleyball tournament.
The Tiger Spikers had a slim one-point lead late in the fourth frame before staging a 4-1 blitz, capped by Tyrone Carodan’s kill, for the win.
With the third tied at 26, the Bulldogs committed two consecutive errors to give UST a 2-1 set advantage.
Tiger Spikers Joshua Umandal and Manuel Medina combined for two off-the-block hits to equalize, 30-28.
“Nagset ako ng goal na [ma-improve] ‘yung service nila and passing efficiency nila. So we got minimum improvement sa service nila, sa passing naman I’m very satisfied,” UST head coach Odjie Mamon told the Varsitarian.
NU trailed by two, before unloading an 8-2 run capped by a UST error to take its lone set win during the first frame, 25-21.
Medina and Umandal led the Tiger Spikers with 15 points apiece while Carodan chipped in 14.
Madzlan Gampong paced NU with 20 points while team captain Francis Saura fired 16 markers.
