University of Santo Tomas secured a spot in the semifinals of the 2023 V-League Collegiate Challenge with a significant four-set victory against rival Far Eastern University, winning 25-22, 26-24, 20-25, 25-18 on Sunday at the Paco Arena in Manila.
The Golden Spikers relied on their transition plays to stage separate comebacks in the first two sets, ultimately sealing the match in the same fashion with a Josh Ybañez kill.
"I think yung blocking at digging namin worked today, which is yung focus naman talaga ng training namin. On that aspect masaya ko," head coach Odjie Mamon said. "We'll prepare for Ateneo. Hindi mo kami dapat dumepensa dun, dapat sumuntok rin kami."
UST showcased a solid defensive effort with 27 digs, led by the libero siblings Nat and Van Prudenciano, contributing seven and six digs respectively. This defensive prowess allowed their offense to execute 63 kills, with 29 of them coming from Ybañez out of his total of 33.
Rainier Flor held down the middle for the Golden Spikers, contributing 14 points through 11 spikes and three blocks.
Dryx Saavedra was held to 12 points by the Thomasian defense, while Martin Bugaoan matched Flor's performance with 12 points of his own.
