Despite suffering their ninth loss in UAAP Season 87, the UP Men’s Volleyball Team (MVT) held their heads high after pushing the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Spikers to the brink in a five-set thriller, 25-11, 18-25, 21-25, 30-28, 9-15, on Sunday, April 13, at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
While out of contention, the maroon shirts displayed their grit in battling the Final Four-seeking green-and-white squad helmed by Noel Kampton.
State U dominated the first set, limiting the team’s errors by two and maximizing on the seven errors of La Salle.
While the Green Spikers nabbed the second and third salvos, the Fighting Maroons stole away the fourth, extending the game with an ace from rookie Olayemi Raheem, 30-28.
UP MVT led the early part of the decider with a 7-5 lead, but ultimately yielded as the Green Spikers’ offense reawakened to close out the final set.
Amid missing out on the win that could have shaken the Final Four picture, head coach Carlo Cabatingan considered the nail-biting game a revelation of his players’ character.
“Nakilala ko ‘yung identity nila, the strengths and the weaknesses, so I think ayun ‘yung pinakamahalaga,” said Cabatingan in a post-game interview with Tinig ng Plaridel (TNP).
Cabatingan added that focusing on them will help the team improve their methods in training.
Aballe Ballin’
After grueling back-to-back five-setter duels against the top-ranked teams of the league, the Diliman-based squad continues to find silver linings for a promising future beyond the season.
For this game, that bright spot appeared in the form of rookie setter Angelo Aballe who tossed 30 excellent sets, while the ever-reliable opposite Raheem paced the loss with 25 points composed of 22 attacks, two blocks and an ace.
Amid their losses, Aballe reflected on the team’s growth in confidence and consistency throughout the season.
“‘Yung overall improvements po ng team is ‘yung determinado pong manalo and ‘yung eagerness naming manalo sa loob ng court,” said Aballe in a post-game interview with TNP. “Sa mga next games po namin, ‘yun po ang goal namin [which] is manalo lang po talaga.”
State U had already eclipsed their wins from Season 86, where they closed out their campaign with a 2-12 slate.
Sitting in sixth place with a 3-9 record, UP can still alter the seedings in the top ranks, with their next match against the third-seeded University of Santo Tomas Golden Spikers who sports an identical 8-4 slate with DLSU.
The UP MVT will return to the taraflex on April 23 at the Mall of Asia Arena, opening the gameday with first service at 9 a.m.
