No time to back down, only room to aim higher.
Season 87 left the University of the Philippines (UP) Men’s Volleyball Team (MVT) fractured, as they only managed to tally two victories in the first round over the University of the East (UE) and Adamson University.
Now, the Fighting Maroons have already tied that record with only three games into the new season.
After pulling off a suspenseful five-setter victory over UE on Feb. 15, State U shot down the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Spikers in four sets on Feb. 25, snapping a 10-game losing streak against DLSU since Season 79.
Already having been through gruesome five-setter games that only led to defeat last season, the team needed more than polishing and readjustment.
They needed a change in mindset.
“We needed to develop a character for the team. [This season] ay mas na-re-retain nila ang focus inside the game. They don’t get rattled as badly as last season,” said UP assistant coach Hannah Nagtalon in a post-game press conference. “The bonding of the team and the connection amongst themselves really helped a lot.”
Despite falling to its Katipunan rivals, UP MVT boasted its competitive spirit throughout the game, with team captain Olayemi Raheem leading the charge with 30 points off 29 attacks and an ace.
Raheem has consistently been standing out during these matches with a back-to-back 30-point performance preceding the 29-point finish in the victory over the green and white.
But for the foreign student-athlete, credit must be given where it is due — and that is to the rest of the UP MVT.
“[It takes] a whole team. It’s not a one-man job,” the sophomore open spiker said in the post-game press conference.
Without a doubt, the team’s coordination and adaptability got the job done. But more than this, UP came with a force that the arena had not met before.
After a season of watching from the bench, Abram Robles found his rhythm on the court.
The middle blocker made his UAAP debut in the battle against the Red Warriors and has since been leaving an impression with every match.
In the recent clash with the Green Spikers, Robles made a fire start by giving the Diliman-based squad its first point of the match. Grounding his place on the court, he followed up with a kill block and continued making attempts to shut down the green-and-white offense.
Rookie spiker Zairus Pacure also rose to the occasion, becoming the Maroons’ spark plug from the first set after two consecutive attack points, pushing State U to a one-point difference, 14-15.
Pacure and Raheem contributed majorly to State U’s 5-0 run, which was intercepted by an attack from DLSU’s Chris Hernandez.
In a tight chase, Pacure sent an off-the-block point to tie the score at 23-all. This was succeeded by a Raheem ace that boosted them to set point, then finally capped off with Pacure’s final attack.
UP MVT carried this momentum over to the second set but just when a sweep seemed to be within reach, DLSU’s kill blocks in the third set denied every offensive attempt from Raheem, Pacure and opposite hitter Angelo Lipata.
“Medyo naging predictable ‘yong atake namin nung third set, tapos La Salle is a very good blocking team as well,” Nagtalon said.
After a drought, Robles broke through the Taft-based squad’s walls with an attack and followed it up with a monster block, forwarding the maroon shirts to 7-13 from an eight-point deficit.
In an attempt to bounce back, Raheem and setter Clarence Santiago score five unanswered points to make for a one-point cushion.
The Diliman-based squad had to recalibrate for a better floor defense, with a new rotation coming into play: Pacure in, Robles anchoring the net and Raheem readjusting to attack from the back row.
Despite the quick response to La Salle’s blocking scheme, UP MVT came up short, 21-25.
But the Fighting Maroons kept moving forward.
The fourth set had the green and white in close pursuit, until Raheem delivered three consecutive crosscourt attack points that pushed State U to 23-19, with a DLSU error putting them at match point.
La Salle’s Eugene Gloria and JJ Rodriguez responded with two attacks and a block to bring the score to 24-21.
But Tommy Castrodes took the opportunity to send a final blow to give UP the victory, bringing the Fighting Maroons’ record to 2-1.
Coming off the bench, Pacure tallied eight points off five attacks, two blocks and an ace for the maroons while Robles contributed nine points off eight attacks and a block.
Middle blocker Issa Ousseini powered the Green Spikers’ scoring efforts with 14 points off 12 attacks and two blocks.
The UP MVT hopes to carry this momentum in its battle against defending champions National University Bulldogs on Saturday, Feb. 28, at the University of Santo Tomas Quadricentennial Pavilion.
