UAAP: FEU, NU arrange men's volleyball finals rematch in Season 88

Far Eastern University (FEU) and National University (NU) are set to battle for the UAAP men’s volleyball title for the second straight season.

In the UAAP Season 88 Final Four, the top-seeded and twice-to-beat Tamaraws staved off a gritty Ateneo de Manila University charge, 25-23, 20-25, 16-25, 25-17, 15-12, on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum to book a ticket to the finals.

Amet Bituin delivered under the bright lights for FEU, scoring three straight points in the final set to steer the Tamaraws to victory. The opposite spiker finished with 12 points on 11 attacks and one block, 10 excellent receptions, and five digs.

Meanwhile dependable mainstays Dryx Saavedra and Lirick Mendoza also contributed greatly on the offensive end, producing 14 and 13 markers respectively.

After a turbulent second and third windows where it succumbed to the Blue Eagles’ scoring runs, FEU bounced back in a huge way, grabbing the fourth set and extending the bout, 25-17.

Carrying its newfound momentum into the decider, the Tamaraws built a strong five-point cushion to fend off the subsequent Ateneo late-game threat and one which Bituin took full advantage of, closing out the match with three consecutive points.

“This is [the] UAAP, hindi napaka-madaling manalo,” FEU head coach Eddieson Orcullo reflected after their hard earned semis comeback against Ateneo.

“Lahat ng player na nasa loob kanina ng Ateneo, maraming salamat sa inyo kasi binigyan niyo kami ng magandang laban. Sa boys naman namin, paghuhusayan pa namin ng maigi kung anong gusto namin na mangyari,” he added.

On the other hand, Aimar Okeke paced Ateneo with a game-high 24 points with majority coming from attacks, while Season 87 MVP Kennedy Batas followed suit with 15 markers and 15 excellent receptions.

In the following game, defending champions NU also made good use of their twice-to-beat advantage, sweeping the University of Santo Tomas in three sets, 25-21, 30-28, 25-19, to secure their 11th straight finals appearance.

Michaelo ‘Buds’ Buddin turned in another strong outing against UST, this time producing game-highs of 19 points off 17 attacks and two blocks while also chalking up 18 excellent receptions.

Fellow Bulldogs teammate Jade Disquitado supplemented Buddin with an all-around performance of 11 points, 10 excellent receptions, and five digs.

Following a thrilling extended second canto in which it won 30-28, the Sampaloc-based squad denied the Golden Spikers any opportunities to gain momentum, establishing a wide eight-point margin in the middle of the third set, 19-11.

From there, scores from Buddin, Disquitado, and middle blocker Peng Taguibulos ironed out the victory for NU, 25-19.

Now preparing for its best-of-three finals rematch against the Tamaraws, the NU camp stated it will continue to work hard while not listening to the noise of a possible sixth-straight title win.

“Una naming gagawin is talagang mag-rest and mag-viewing, tapos sana paghandaan kung ano yung dapat naming paghandaan. Knowing FEU, isa rin sa talaga contender ngayong season…every single day dapat focused kami…para pagdating ng game, mas pulido lahat ng gagawin namin,” asserted Buddin.

“Yun yung naging sikreto namin kasi hindi kami talaga nagfo-focus dun sa six-peat na yan,” maintained NU head tactician Dante Alinsunurin. 

“More on focus kami sa ginagawa talaga namin everyday para mag-improve pa kami…Sabi ko nga sa kanila kung dadating sa atin, siyempre kukunin natin. Pero hangga't maaari, trabahuin muna natin yung naging problema namin,” added Alinsunurin.

Gboy De Vega spearheaded now-eliminated UST in its scoring efforts this afternoon, producing 14 points to go along with 14 excellent receptions and six digs. Star opposite spiker Josh Ybañez had nine points, 16 excellent receptions, and six digs in his final UAAP game for the Golden Spikers.

NU and FEU will take part in game one of the best-of-three finals series on Wednesday, May 6, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

—JKC, GMA News