THE SECOND-seeded UST Tiger Spikers’ championship hopes were crushed by two-time defending champion National University (NU) after an 18-25, 23-25, 23-25defeat in their Final Four do-or-die showdown at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last Feb. 28.
Despite being tied for the league’s best record at 11-3, UST blew a twice-to-beat advantage in its first trip to the playoffs after a two-year absence.
With the game tied at 21 in the third set, Ruben Baysac and Peter Torres delivered back-to-back points to gain the upperhand for the Bulldogs, 23-21.
UST Skipper Romnick Rico retaliated with his own attack but it did not matter as his service error sent the Bulldogs to match point, 22-24.
Mark Alfafara tried to bring UST back with a through-the-block hit, 23-24, but his powertip in the next play went outside as NU advanced to their third consecutive finals appearance and a rematch of last year’s title game against the Ateneo de Manila University.
With UST down 10-12 in the second set, Alfafara anchored a 6-0 run with four points capped by a down-the-line hit and a block.
However, crucial mistakes down the stretch enabled the Bulldogs to snatch the win, 25-23, and establish a 2-0 lead. The Tiger Spikers committed nine errors in the second set alone.
“’Yung preparation namin maganda sa training, naintindihan nila. Hindi lang talaga na-execute,” head coach Odjie Mamon said. “Siguro ginusto talaga ng NU na kami ang makalaban kasi inexperienced kami.”
The Bulldogs went for the kill early in the opening set as they ignited a 10-1 run for an 11-2 lead and never looked back.
Alfafara finished with a game-high 17 points while Rico added 14 points in their final UAAP game. Torres led all NU scorers with 13 markers while Reuben Inaudito and Edwin Tolentino had 12 apiece.
“I'm still proud of them. We've made it this far despite our inexperience. Sabi ko nga hindi naman na sila bagito,”Mamon added.
In their first game last Feb. 25, Alfafara erupted for a UAAP record 37 points but it was not enough to push UST to its first finals appearance since Season 74 after the Bulldogs made all the right plays in the endgame en route to a 26-24, 28-26, 23-25, 25-21 victory.
