Despite a winning streak down their pockets, the DLSU Green Spikers fell prey to the UST Growling Tigers in a hard-fought attempt in the UAAP Season 88 Men’s Volleyball Tournament, 18-25, 28-30, 23-25, earlier today, March 25, at the Smart Areneta Coliseum.
Commanding the Taft-based squad in their valiant bid was Eugene Gloria, pouring in 16 points, while Chris Hernandez provided steady backing with 10 markers of his own.
On the other side of the taraflex, Josh Ybañez led the fierce run of the tigers with 23 points, alongside Al-Bukhanie Sali who scattered 8 markers to secure the victory.
Stepping on the wrong foot
The DLSU Green Spikers stumbled out of the gates with a sluggish start, handing the UST Growling Tigers an opportunity to draw first blood. An attack error, followed by Gloria’s down-the-line hit, briefly put La Salle ahead, 2-0. But the Green Spikers’ misfired offense opened the door for UST to mount an 8-1 run, punctuated by Hernandez’s setting error off a broken play. The Taft-based squad continued to struggle in reading UST’s offense, with attacks coming from both wings. A quick side-out by Issa Ousseini trimmed the deficit to four, 12-8, but La Salle still had no answer for the relentless spiking of the Tigers, as the lead eventually ballooned to 16-10 in favor of UST.
Gloria emerged as the lifeline of the Green Spikers late in the set, using his wits to outmaneuver the UST defense. His pipe attack briefly halted the Thomasians’ momentum, leaving them 20-14 behind, with La Salle still trailing. However, an attack error by Hernandez quickly spoiled the rally, restoring UST’s seven-point edge. Despite a solid stuffed block from Eric Layug, the Growling Tigers held firm, maintaining their cushion before sealing the set with a service ace, 25-18.
Slip at the stretch
The second set unfolded as a tightly-contested exchange, with both sides trading blows early before the Green Spikers found their rhythm midway through the frame. Rui Ventura opened the scoring from the opposite, while Ousseini and Hernandez quickly established presence through the middle and pipe. Notably, Sherwin Retiro returned to action for the first time in several games, rejoining the floor as La Salle sought stability in reception. However, the first grasp on momentum saw the green side for only a brief time as UST took the surge early on and gave DLSU a run for their money. Gloria, in particular, emerged as a steady option, mixing powerful spikes and tooling the blockers to help La Salle erase an early deficit and eventually regain a lead, 12-10. With contributions spread across the floor and Ousseini anchoring the net with his blocking prowess, the Green-and-White looked poised to dictate the tempo.
La Salle sustained its edge through controlled offense and improved floor defense, stretching the gap to 20-17 behind Hernandez’s consistent pipe killers and MJ Fortuna’s spark off the bench. The Green Spikers appeared in control, capitalizing on UST errors while maintaining a balanced scoring spread. However, cracks began to surface late in the set as UST leaned on Ybañez and JJ Macam to chip away at the deficit. What was once a comfortable cushion slowly dwindled, with crucial errors and a rejection on Ousseini’s signature quick allowing the Growling Tigers to force a deadlock at 24-all.
The set turned into a test of composure and drive. Hernandez repeatedly answered the call with clutch off-the-block hits and crosscourt finishes to keep Lasalle afloat in the deuce, while Fortuna and Gloria added timely conversions to stave off multiple set points. Yet, the Growling Tigers kept their fangs up, capitalizing on tight exchanges and extending rallies until the Green Spikers faltered. A block and an attack error from the Green Spikers eventually sealed their fate, as UST outlasted La Salle in a grueling finish, 30-28.
Within striking distance
Down two sets to none, the DLSU Green Spikers came knocking on the door, but could not break through as a late comeback bid fell short of extending the match. The third set featured 12 deadlocks, with La Salle even seizing the lead at stretches, but despite being within arm’s reach, they were unable to sustain the momentum needed to close it out.
Lefty middle blocker Layug opened the scoring for the Green Spikers with a quick hit to level the match at 1-all. But Trevor Valera responded swiftly to restore a 2-1 edge for the Growling Tigers. Both squads traded blows early on before UST carved out a three-point advantage, 8-5, exploiting NJ Bangit’s setting error. Hernandez and Mendoza’s combined firepower kept DLSU within striking distance, and an attack error by Macam eventually wiped out UST’s cushion. Gloria then capitalized on Retiro’s superb dig, converting an off-the-block hit to give La Salle its first lead of the set, 13-12.
Hot-handed Hernandez unleashed consecutive kills to stretch the lead to three, 17-14, in favor of La Salle. However, Gboy De Vega sparked a turnaround for the Thomasians, firing three straight points against the Taft towers to knot the set at 19-all. From there, the Lasallian wingers went head-to-head with Ybañez in a fierce back-and-forth exchange, but a costly net touch by Ventura, followed by Ybañez’s service ace, eventually gave UST the straight-sets victory, 25-23.
The Green Spikers now turn their attention on redemption as they set their sights on a bounce-back win against the UP Fighting Maroons on Sunday, March 29, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavillion.
The Scores:
DLSU – Gloria 16, Hernandez 10, Ousseini 7, Layug 3, Mendoza 3, Ventura 3, Fortuna 2, Bangit 0, R. Flores 0, N. Flores 0, Magallanes 0, Retiro 0
UST – Ybanez 23, Sali 10, Macam 8, Valera 8, De Vega 5, Ayco 4, Catinsag 2, Yambao 1, Alabar 0, Avila 0, Hernandez 0, Legaspi 0, Umandal 0
Set Scores: 18-25, 28-30, 23-25
