The University of the Philippines Men’s Volleyball Team (UP MVT) remains unable to break into the win column after falling to the National University (NU) Bulldogs in four sets, 25-23, 14-25, 20-25, 23-25, on March 26, at the FilOil EcoOil Centre.
The Maroons had a strong start, taking the first set and keeping their opponents at bay.
“[We stuck] to the system. We executed our system well. I think that was the main positive output of the first set […] and we allowed NU to play how we want to play,” shared team captain Gian Samaniego in a post-game interview with Tinig ng Plaridel.
However, NU quickly responded and showed their championship pedigree, unleashing a dominant 8-1 run to close out the second salvo. The trio of Buds Buddin, Leo Aringo, and Jade Disquitado combined for 19 out of NU’s 25 points in the third to put State U in a 1-2 set deficit.
The Maroons had a chance to extend the match to a fifth set as they snatched the lead at the fourth frame, 22-21, with a kill point from Olayemi Raheem.
However, UP’s efforts were not enough at match point as Raheem’s attack sailed through the court that doomed the Diliman-based squad.
Despite this, the players constantly encouraged each other and took it one step at a time as they moved forward into the season.
“We continue. We focus on the next ball,” said Samaniego.
The Maroon shirts have a few days to regroup from their loss against NU and prepare for the University of the East (UE) Red Warriors, hoping to replicate their first win of the season tomorrow, March 30, at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
On a positive note, the high-caliber Raheem has been a consistent scorer and leader on the court, notching a career-high 26 points off of 24 attacks, one block and an ace, alongside six excellent digs.
“Well, it’s something I need to do. I just need to keep my focus on delivering ‘cause that’s what I need to do for my team,” said Raheem. “Well, [we’re] looking forward to the match. As always, we got lessons from winning the first game [against UE]. We need to give them respect, and we need to prepare for them.”
The Diliman-based squad highlighted the need to improve on their weaknesses and work on the lapses from their previous losses. As they currently rank seventh in the standings, UP MVT aims to focus on their individual skills and work as a team to carry off their system well.
“We want to repeat what happened in the first round, but this time, it’s really up to us how we will execute and how we can prepare well for the upcoming UE game,” said Samaniego.
UP MVT is currently on a two-game losing streak since the start of the second round, while UE is stuck on a nine-game slide dating back to the first round.
