Defending champion University of Santo Tomas dislodged Far Eastern University on top of the standings, this after the Tigers defeated the Tamaraws, 25-18, 26-28, 25-17, 25-23, in a thrilling encounter Sunday at the end of the elimination round of the UAAP men’s volleyball tournament at The Arena in San Juan.
Needing to win to complete a double-round sweep of the tournament, the Tamaraws ran smack into a brick-wall UST side poised to give their rivals their only beating thus far.
The Tigers, who are already assured of a spot in the Final Four, fell into a tie for the lead with the Tamaraws with identical 13-1 cards. But the Tigers got the top seed in the semis by virtue of a better FIVB points ratio.
Salvador Depante and Harby Ilano had 13 points each, John Paul Torres added 12, and Henry Pecana and Jayson Ramos tallied 11 apiece in a display of balanced firepower by the Tigers.
Rodolfo Labrador scored 16 points while Arvin Avila had 12 points for FEU, which failed to neutralize the Tamaraws’ attack.
“We really studied their attacks today," said UST coach Emil Lontoc. “Now we still have a chance to win the championship."
University of the Philippines grabbed the third seed in the Final Four after pulling off a 25-18, 27-25, 20-25, 25-18 win over La Salle.
Michael Jordan Arda finished with 17 points for the Maroons, who tied the Archers with an 8-6 record. The Maroons secured the No. 3 spot by virtue of a superior tiebreak score.
The men’s volleyball Final Four begins on Wednesday with FEU facing UP at 2 p.m. at The Arena in San Juan.
source: gmanews.tv
No comments:
Post a Comment