As the round two of the UAAP Season 87 Collegiate Volleyball Tournaments nears its halfway point, the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons secured twin wins against the University of the East (UE) on March 30 at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
While both State U squads are taking different approaches to claiming victory, their eyes remain set on the same goal—clinch a Final Four spot.
Problem solvers
After absorbing back-to-back defeats from the Ateneo Blue Eagles and National University (NU) Bulldogs, the UP Men’s Volleyball Team (MVT) found all the answers in a convincing 25-21, 25-21, 22-25, 25-21 containment of the UE Red Warriors.
The team’s mantra of sticking to the system worked wonders as they launched 61 spikes with a 39% attack clip, with rookies Olayemi Raheem and Tommy Castrodes leading the offense for the Diliman-based squad after firing 21 and 15 points, respectively.
Apart from consistency, head coach Carlo Cabatingan also wants to instill an active approach towards the roadblocks the season has thrown in their path.
“Mahilig kaming sumubok, mahilig kaming matuto tapos gagawa kami ng paraan. When we started the team, isa lang ‘yung philosophy ko lang talaga eh, we become a problem solver,” said the tactician during the post-game press conference.
“We keep on trying what else the boys can do, what else the team can do, ano pa capabilities namin, kaya we keep on trying,” he added.
The squad followed suit towards this mindset, applying a noticeable change in the form of middle blocker Angelo Lipata who was repositioned to an open spiker in their match against UE.
Lipata found success at the wings as he tied his season-high with 9 markers to go along with six digs and nine excellent receptions.
Another solution came in with rookie setter Louise Aballe who has been a vital cog for the team’s offense ever since taking Clarence Santiago’s spot in the starting six dating back to their first round encounter with De La Salle University.
Aballe has been rock solid with his playmaking abilities as he averaged 15.5 excellent sets in their last two games of the second round before tossing 27 excellents sets against the Red Warriors.
Despite his stellar performance, Cabatingan sees room for improvement for the young player with four games left in the elimination phase.
“So far nagiging maganda naman ‘yung progress namin with him. Syempre lumilitaw lang […] ‘yung immaturity in some part of the game [that leads to errors] and dahil lumilitaw ‘yon, may sinusubukan yung bata, so may opportunities pa kami to improve.” said the coach.
With long-term plans for UP MVT, Cabatingan relishes the opportunity to find new ideas and know the players more in order to reach their full potential. “This is the season where I have to know them better. So kinikilala nila ako, kinikilala ko [rin] sila,” said the head coach.
When asked what changes could be expected next, the UP strategist answered with humor. “Baka si Raheem makita niyo sa libero [spot],” Cabatingan said in jest.
The UP MVT will look for a big boost on their Final Four bid as they lock horns with the wounded Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws on April 6 at the Big Dome.
Back to basics
After defeating the top-seeded defending champions NU Lady Bulldogs in a five-set thriller, the UP Women’s Volleyball Team (WVT) continues to thrive with a dominant win over the UE Lady Warriors, 25-21, 25-18, 25-17.
But despite their first straight-set win since Season 84 which was also against the Recto-based squad, UP WVT head coach Benson Bocboc believes the team needs to sharpen their skills and relearn the basics as the season intensifies.
“Sa laro ng volleyball, basic lang naman. ‘Yung pasa, ‘yung setting […] Kailangan natin ‘yung mga basic skills na ‘yun para makakuha ng puntos. Eh kung hindi namin ma-master ‘yun, aasa kami sa mali ng kalaban,” Bocboc explained during the post-game press conference.
After nip-and-tuck exchanges early in the game, with 11 deadlocks in just the first set, the Fighting Maroons capitalized on errors from the opposing team. However, lapses from the Diliman side also contributed to the bottleneck showdown between both squads.
Following the 21 errors committed by the Maroon shirts by the end of the match, Bocboc stressed that there is no more room for inconsistencies and aims to eliminate their mishaps moving forward.
With veteran spikers Joan Monares and Irah Jaboneta leading the way, tallying 15 and 13 points, respectively, State U continues to rely on their teamwork and discipline to keep their fighting spirit alive.
“Fulfilling siya kasi nagbubunga ‘yung pinagtatrabahuhan namin, pero ‘yun nga, hindi pa po talaga nagtatapos dun. Every game challenging talaga so dagdag pa at itatama ‘yung mga mali, ganun lang po lagi,” Jaboneta said.
As they head into their upcoming matches near the end of round two, the Diliman-based squad seeks to recalibrate—ensuring their victories come from their own offensive and defensive strength.
Currently holding a 5-5 record, UP WVT will fight to keep their Final Four hopes alive as they take on the FEU Lady Tamaraws on April 6 at the same venue.
