UST hopes to keep its surge rolling while La Salle looks to turn its long-awaited breakthrough into momentum as UAAP Season 88 men’s volleyball action resumes Wednesday, March 11.
Riding a four-game winning streak, the Golden Spikers aim to sustain their hot form in facing the UP Fighting Maroons at 11:00 a.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Earlier, the Green Spikers will attempt to build their first winning run of the tournament in crossing paths with the Adamson Soaring Falcons in the 9:00 a.m. curtain-raiser.
UST has quietly emerged as one of the hottest teams in the tournament after rebounding from an opening-game loss to string together four straight victories.
The Golden Spikers currently sit at 4-1 in solo third place, trailing only the unbeaten FEU Tamaraws (6-0) and five-time defending champion NU Bulldogs (5-1).
The España-based squad continued its impressive stretch with a commanding 25-16, 25-20, 25-22 sweep of Adamson in its previous outing.
Two-time MVP Josh Ybañez once again led the way with 15 points, while JJ Macam added 12 markers.
UST now faces a UP side eager to bounce back after suffering a 25-14, 25-22, 28-26 loss to league-leading FEU in its last outing.
The setback dropped the Fighting Maroons to 2-3, though they remain within striking distance of the upper half of the standings.
A victory would keep UST within range of the league leaders heading into a much-anticipated opening-round finale against unbeaten FEU on Saturday, March 14 at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Earlier in the day, La Salle hopes to build on the confidence gained from finally getting into the win column.
After stumbling out of the gates with four straight losses, the Green Spikers finally broke through with a gritty 27-25, 25-23, 17-25, 25-17 victory over the UE Red Warriors.
Chris Hernandez spearheaded the breakthrough win with 17 points, while Eugene Gloria and Issa Ousseini chipped in 15 points apiece to help La Salle improve to 1-4.
Now, the Taft-based squad hopes to ride that momentum when it faces Adamson, which has struggled to regain its footing after a promising start to the season.
The Soaring Falcons have dropped four consecutive matches since opening their campaign with a victory over Ateneo, placing them in the midst of a skid they hope to snap against the Green Spikers.
In women's tournament, ALAS PILIPINAS stars Angel Canino and Shaina Nitura clash as unbeaten De La Salle University (DLSU) tries to zero in on a first-round sweep against Adamson University (AdU) in the UAAP Season 88 women’s volleyball on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Still immaculate after five matches, the DLSU Lady Spikers want no let-up at 1 p.m. against the fourth-running AdU Lady Falcons (3-2) to prime up for a heavyweight rematch against the National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs (5-1) to end the round.
University of the Philippines (UP) (3-2) and University of Santo Tomas (2-3) collide at 3 p.m., aiming to stay in the thick of the final four race approaching the crucial second phase.
But all eyes are on La Salle, which has been dead serious in its redemption tour by wiping out its first five opponents so far with only a single set loss.
The Lady Spikers did it despite the two-game absence of top spiker Shevana Laput, who marked a comeback in a 25-15, 25-20, 25-19 win against the listless University of the East last week.
Ms. Canino, the league’s second best attacker only behind Ms. Laput, has taken the Lady Spikers under her wings since then and the same should be expected even against her national teammate Ms. Nitura and company led by rising star Frances Mordi. Mses. Nitura and Mordi combined for 42 points in Adamson’s upset of Santo Tomas, 27-25, 25-22, 25-12, to gain a share of fourth seed with Far Eastern University.
Expect the Lady Falcons to be ready for the Lady Spikers’ onslaught.
“I think we’ll focus on our side, which is back to training, and focus on what we can do to slow them down,” said Ms. Nitura.
All volleyball matches will stream live on the Pilipinas Live app. The games will also air on the UAAP Varsity Channel.
