The University of the Philippines (UP) Men’s Volleyball Team (MVT) hopes to rebuild its defense after absorbing its first loss, 25-21, 23-25, 22-25, 18-25, against Katipunan rivals Ateneo Blue Eagles in the UAAP Season 88 Men’s Volleyball eliminations on Sunday, Feb. 22, at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Equal set distribution led State U to claim the first set with Tommy Castrodes and Milven Francisco heading the scoring department with six and five points, respectively.
The Fighting Maroons’ backrow defense started crumbling early in the second frame, giving away their chances to convert points, 1-5.
An over-the-block spike by Olayemi Raheem saves UP a set point, but Blue Eagle Aimar Okeke’s down-the-line attack ends the set, putting both teams on the same ground after the second set, 23-25.
Opening the third with two attack errors, the maroon shirts took a while to get back on track, as Season 87 MVP Kennedy Batas came off the bench, challenging UP’s walls at the net.
Raheem made his presence felt as he entered the frontline, firing five straight hits to tie the game at 14-all.
Despite holding on to close a three-point deficit in the fourth set, Diliman’s floor defense shattered after Ateneo’s Lorenzo Gutierrez scored three consecutive aces, 17-22.
Castrodes’ error on the service line proved vital, putting the Blue Eagles at match point and ultimately handing the Fighting Maroons their first loss of the season.
Amidst claiming the first set, defense specialist Justine Sotto admits that the team’s lack of focus in the third and fourth sets cost them the match and hopes to build confidence in rotations with other passers.
“Lack of focus, especially on the third and fourth set. Kasi nakita naman natin noong second set na nakakadikit kami,” Sotto said in an interview with Tinig ng Plaridel (TNP). “Mag-fofocus kami sa mga rotation na alam namin na may weakest passers.”
After recording a career-high of 30 markers in their opening match, team captain Raheem continued to heavily take charge of leading State U’s offense with 30 points from 29 attacks and an ace, 20 of which were from the two final sets.
“We’re playing a very good team so we tried all our best, but I guess it wasn’t enough. So we go back now and improve our mistakes,” Raheem said in an interview with TNP.
WATCH: UP Men’s Volleyball Team Captain Olayemi Raheem’s reflection on the first loss in Season 88.
On the other side of Katipunan, Jian Salarzon and Amil Pacinio’s combined efforts led the Blue Eagles to secure their first win of the season, contributing 19 and 13 markers, respectively.
With the hopes of coming back stronger, the Fighting Maroons are set to face the DLSU Green Spikers on Wednesday, Feb. 25, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
UP MVT Set Scores: 25-21, 23-25, 22-25, 18-25
