UST fought back from a hard opening set setback with a sweep of the next three as it subdued Ateneo, 25-27, 25-17, 25-20, 25-16, to seal a title showdown with the fancied NU side on Wednesday at Paco Arena.
Josh Ybañez unloaded 19 attack points, hit four aces and came through with a block to lead the Tiger Spikers’ big comeback against the Eagles in their spirited duel for the right to face the Bulldogs in the finals set Sunday starting at 10 a.m., also at the Paco Arena.
Gboy de Vega added 19 markers while Edlyn Colinares and Jay Rack dela Noche scored 10 points each for the Espana-based squad.
“Yung concern namin ay yung first set, they were over-eager and anxious. I just reminded them to just keep their focus kasi we gave up almost 20 points on our errors,” said UST mentor Odjie Mamon. “So, they played their usual game in the next three sets.”
Ken Batas put in a 15-point performance while Abai Llenos added 14 markers and 11 excellent receptions for the Blue Eagles, who will dispute the bronze medal with the Altas at 5 p.m., also on Sunday.
