The UP Fighting Maroons Women’s and Men’s Volleyball Teams (UPMVT and UPWVT) ended the first round of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 87 volleyball tournament with a double win.
The University teams won against the Adamson University (AdU) Soaring Falcons on March 16 at the Araneta Coliseum.
First to defeat the AdU was the UPMVT in four sets, 20-25, 25-18, 26-24, 25-20.
After losing the first set, the UP Fighting Maroons took the second set and the very tightly contested third frame to give the UPMVT a 2-1 set advantage.
The UP Fighting Maroons and AdU Soaring Falcons then engaged in a seesaw battle at the beginning of the fourth set. Led by Tommy Castrodes and Raheem Olayemi, the UPMVT slowly pulled away from the AdU Soaring Falcons in the tail end of the fourth set to snatch their second victory in seven outings.
Olayemi paced the UP Fighting Maroons with 22 points built from 18 attacks and four blocks, while Castrodes came up with 17 points, 23 receptions, and 14 digs.
Later in the day, the UPWVT triumphed against the AdU Lady Falcons in five action-packed sets, 25-15, 15-25, 24-26, 25-22, 15-10.
The UPWVT comfortably took the first set but fumbled in the two succeeding sets.
The UP Fighting Maroons, however, found their groove in the fourth set. With varied plays and good defense, UPWVT edged out the Lady Falcons in the fourth frame to send the game into a decider set.
Irah Jaboneta and Niña Ytang then came up big in the decider set to tow the UP Fighting Maroons to a victory.
It was a balanced point production for the UPWVT, with Ytang leading the pack, scoring 20 points, followed by Jaboneta with 19. Joan Monares and Kianne Olango also made significant contributions with 15 points apiece. UP’s next game on March 22 is against the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles. The UPMVT is set to play against the Blue Eagles at 12 p.m., while the UPWVT will face the Lady Eagles at 4 p.m. Both games will be held at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.