UAAP: UST makes it 5 in a row, La Salle stays in hunt for No. 3

UST Golden Spikers in the UAAP Season 87 men’s volleyball tournament.–UAAP PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—The University of Santo Tomas kept its momentum going in the second round of the UAAP Season 87 men’s volleyball tournament after easing past also-ran University of the Philippines at Mall of Asia Arena on Wednesday.

The Golden Spikers won their fifth straight game sweeping the Fighting Maroons, 25-17, 25-20, 25-11, fresh off the Holy Week break.

Even with a Final Four spot in the bag, UST assistant coach Benjamin Mape said the squad remains hard at work to enter the playoffs on a high note.

READ: UAAP: FEU nears top seed, UST bolsters Final Four bid

“Our preparation leading up to the last games of this tournament was quite intense,” said Mape.

“With what the players showed today, we coaches were really pleased because the things we practiced during the Holy Week break, we were able to see them in action—even though it’s not yet very polished, there’s still improvement that we can show.”

Reigning league MVP Josh Ybañez powered UST anew with 15 points to his name while JJ Macam also helped the Golden Spikers improve to 9-4 with 11 points.

Olayemi Raheem was the only player on the UP side that ended in double digits with 10 to his name.

However, even with UST winning its match against the Fighting Maroons, they’re still not assured of the third seed.

READ: UAAP: La Salle beats Ateneo, UST cruises in men’s volleyball

Meanwhile, La Salle tied UST in third following a hard-fought win over Adamson, 25-20, 27-25, 24-26, 25-17, to hike its record to 9-4.

Noel Hampton led the way for the Green Spikers with 26 points. La Salle needs to beat FEU coupled with a UST loss to NU on Saturday in order to clinch the No. 3 seed.

If both La Salle and UST end up with similar slates, the Golden Spikers will secure the No. 3 spot due to the winner over the other rule.