UAAP Season 88 boys’ volleyball MVP Rainier Lorayes and 2026 Palarong Pambansa Best Middle Blocker Titus Villacrusis headline nine new faces joining the UST Golden Spikers ahead of Season 89.
Lorayes, a 19-year-old outside hitter, moves up to the men’s team after being named MVP of the UAAP Season 88 boys’ volleyball tournament. He is one of four recruits making the jump from the UST boys’ volleyball program.
Joining Lorayes are opposite hitter Jakob Mariano and liberos Rolf de Asis and Kyle Barredo.
“It was designed that way [that] the players of the MVT (men’s volleyball team) comes from the BVT (boy’s volleyball team),” UST head coach Odjie Mamon told the Varsitarian.
Villacrusis, a 6-foot-4 middle blocker, committed to UST for his collegiate career after helping the Mapúa Junior Cardinals win the NCAA Season 101 boys’ volleyball championship.
The Golden Spikers also welcomed three collegiate recruits: middle blocker Luke Anderson, outside hitter Ian De Guzman and open hitter Kirk Partosa.
Anderson, 21, previously played for Brigham Young University-Hawaii, while fellow 21-year-old De Guzman suited up for Westchester University. Partosa, 17, previously played for Adamson University.
Rounding out UST’s nine-man recruitment class is opposite hitter John Mark Ignacio, a De La Salle-Lipa product who was part of the school’s 2024 NCAA South boys’ volleyball championship team.
The influx of new recruits comes as UST seeks to bolster its roster after a Final Four finish in UAAP Season 88, while also giving the newcomers a chance to test themselves in the ongoing V-League Collegiate Challenge.
The Golden Spikers will be without opposite hitter Sherwin Umandal and libero Nat Prudenciado, who both opted to forgo their remaining playing years. Joshua Avila is also set to leave after exhausting his UAAP eligibility due to age restrictions.
Despite the departures, UST will retain much of its core, including three-time UAAP MVP Josh Ybañez, who is set to return for his final playing year. with reports from Rogina Cassandra G. Baltazar
