SEEMINGLY ticked off by their bridesmaid finish in the UAAP Volleyball Tournament last season, the UST Tiger Spikers are off to a ferocious start in this season.
Their sights fixed on the volleyball crown, the Tiger Spikers cruised to a smashing three-set sweep of their long-time arch-rival, the Far Eastern University Tamaraw Spikers, 25-18, 25-17, 25-19, last July 28 at the UP College of Human Kinetics Gym.
With relative ease, UST’s team captain Rico de Guzman feasted on the weak defense of the Tamaraw Spikers as he scored on three smashing kills to put the Tiger Spikers ahead, 17-14, from a tight 14-all deadlock midway in the first set. Alarmed by de Guzman’s exploits, FEU sued for a time-out.
But even that would not slow down the Tiger Spikers as setter Anthony Irvin Guiao scored on a tip followed by a good defensive block from Jake Lagar and de Guzman on FEU’s offensive play, padding the lead to five, 19-14.
The Tamaraws tried to rally, scoring on their next two plays, but seasoned third-year player Nimrod Ruelos silenced them once again with a thunderous spike.
The two squads answered each other’s attacks going into the final stretch of the first set. Capitalizing on FEU’s net violation and a service error, de Guzman dealt the finishing blow by scoring on an impressive spike to win the first set, 25-18.
In the initial stages of the second set, the two rival schools exchanged blows before the Tiger Spikers zoomed to a 5-1 run for an early 8-3 lead. Immediately, the Tamaraw Spikers called for a time-out to stop UST’s momentum, forcing a service error from UST’s de Guzman and a UST net violation to cut the deficit to three, 8-5.
But FEU stumbled into a spate of errors, allowing the España-based spikers to take a comfortable 13-5 lead. UST went full throttle as Emilio Reyes Jr. connived with Ruelos and Lagar to give the Tiger Spikers its biggest lead, 22-13.
After a time-out, FEU was able to regroup and scored on their next three plays before Ruelos connected on a smashing kill to move UST within two more points to clinch the second set. A receiving error committed by UST turned the ball to FEU’s side for a chance to make a last-ditch rally in the second set.
However, lady luck would not smile on FEU after the Tamaraws surrendered a point to UST on a service error. That error paved the way for a de Guzman spike to finish off the Tamaraw Spikers, 25-17, in the second set.
Riding on a wave, UST broke the game wide open in the last set with a 6-0 run, and later turning a 3-all standoff into a 9-3 lead.
But FEU would not lay down to rest easily as it answered back with its own 3-0 scoring binge to inch three points closer, 9-6.
Guiao scored in the next play, but lapses committed by UST—one called on ace spiker de Guzman for an outside violation—allowed FEU to tie the game, 10-apiece.
Tiger spiker Reyes Jr.’s receiving error pushed the Tamaraw Spikers ahead for the first time. But that would be the first and the last time that FEU got ahead as UST’s trio of sophomore player Louie Lloyd Magpoc, and veterans de Guzman and Reyes starred in a 5-0 scoring attack to get the lead back, 16-11.
Sensing danger, the FEU coaching staff tried to bail the team as they called for time-out.
The UST Men’s Volleyball Team would not be denied of the victory after FEU self-destructed in the homestretch of the third set with Tamaraw Spikers Jobert Macasling, Jeffrey Guevarra and Randy Fallorina committing errors in succession to further push the Tiger Spikers closer to victory with a 24-18 lead.
After calling for a time-out, FEU’s Jeremy Pedregosa scored to stave off the inevitable. However, de Guzman, UST’s main man, took matters into his own Asked if he was surprised by the FEU’s poor showing, the seasoned mentor said, “Marami din kasing nawala sa FEU kaya siguro ganoon ang ipinakita nila ngayon.” Alder T. Almo
