UAAP: FEU stuns UST for solo fourth in men’s volleyball
FEU Tamaraws. UAAP PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—Fueled by unwavering belief, Mark Calado and the Far Eastern University Tamaraws slayed Final Four-bound University of Santo Tomas Golden Spikers, 25-21, 22-25, 21-25, 25-21, 15-10 victory in the UAAP Season 85 men’s volleyball tournament on Sunday at Mall of Asia Arena.
Calado willed his team back with a 21-point explosion to snap the Tamaraws’ four-game slide as well as the Golden Spikers’ eight-game winning streak.
Calado drilled a strong back-row kill to end the fifth set and regain their winning ways after a two-hour and 26-minute game.
“As my teammates and coaches say, let’s continue to believe. We just stick to that and we worked hard to win this game,” said Calado in Filipino after scoring 19 kills, one block, and one ace.
“We’re so happy because we finally ended the curse. Losing consecutive games was really frustrating and there were down moments. I’m thankful because we got the win,” he added.
Dryx Saavedra also stepped up for the Tamaraws with 16 points including the timely hits in the fifth, while JJ Javelona and Martin Bugaoan chipped in nine and eight points, respectively.
FEU rose to solo fourth place with an improved 7-6 record, needing to win its last elimination round game against also-ran Adamson on Sunday next week to secure at least a playoff.
“We will continue to work hard. But this win is a good sign for our team and a good morale booster heading to our remaining games,” said FEU coach Rei Diaz in Filipino. “We strengthen our bond and our faith in each other. We have to stick together regardless of the result.”
The win by FEU also ousted idle University of the East (4-8) from the Final Four race, leaving the former and La Salle and Ateneo, who will face each other on Sunday evening, in a tight race for the last two semifinal berths.
UST, which secured a twice-to-beat advantage, gave up 45 errors in the match, sliding to a 10-2 record.
Josh Ybanez led the Golden Spikers with 28 points on a 27-of-52 spiking clip to go with 17 excellent receptions, while GBoy De Vega chipped in 15 markers including two blocks.
