By Vince Matthew Jaramilla

Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraw Mikko Espartero led the green-and-gold squad to overcome the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Golden Spikers, 20-25, 25-22, 25-16, 25-20, as a strong start for the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 men’s volleyball tournament earlier today, February 15, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

The open hitter tallied 16 attacks, two blocks, and one ace with solid floor defense to be hailed Player of the Game.

In the post-game press conference, Espartero mentioned the value of seizing the moment when on the court, something that his coaches always reiterate.

“Bago po ko sumalang dito, inisip ko talaga ‘yung laging sinasabi ng coaches na minsan lang tayo napagbibigyan maglaro sa pinakamalaking liga sa Pilipinas kaya lagi akong nagsi-stick sa [pag-iisip na] i-seize ang moment every game na naglalaro ka sa court (Before I entered the game, I really thought of how our coaches always say that it’s not always that you get to play in the biggest league in the Philippines so I always stick to the mantra of seizing the moment whenever I play on the court),” he said.

The Tamaraws struggled to take the lead early on due to their error-filled play and difficulty in keeping Golden Spiker Josh Ybañez at bay, 5-9. Fortunately, Espartero kept them at float, 14-14, midway through the first set.

However, despite Espartero’s six attacks and one block, FEU’s 11 unforced errors proved costly, failing to build momentum and conceding the frame, 20-25.

The second set saw a closer start with both teams matching attack for attack and error for error. 

While their lead never went higher than three, the Morayta squad remained in the driver’s seat after the 5-6 score mark through setter Benny Martinez’s unpredictable setting and rookie libero Vennie Ceballos’ floor defense.

FEU’s advantage eventually forced UST to use both of their second-set timeouts down the stretch, but Tamaraw middle blocker Doula Ndongala sealed the frame with a block on Ybañez, 25-22.

The green-and-gold squad carried their momentum and shared offense onto the third frame by leading seven attacks to two early to force another UST break at 11-7.

Off the timeout, the Tamaraws did not show any signs of slowing down, taking advantage of the Golden Spikers’ errors to inflate the lead to nine for another set on the board, 25-16. FEU had more than double UST’s third-set attack output, 14-6.

Just like the two frames before, the fourth set started with a neck-and-neck bout, totalling 10 deadlocks at just the 10-10 score mark.

The Morayta-based squad gradually pulled away through hitters Jelord Talisayan and Dryx Saavedra’s timely support. On the other hand, the España team absorbed a bad hit as Season 86 Most Valuable Player Ybañez took a bad fall and had to be pulled out of the game.

With all advantages on their side, Espartero and Talisayan eventually sealed the match with back-to-back hits, 25-20.

Joining Espartero as double-digit scorers were Talisayan, Saavedra, and Ndongala with 13, 13, and 12 markers, respectively.

Considering their semifinal elimination against UST in Season 86, Tamaraws head coach Ed Orcullo shared their increased motivation to play well going into today’s game.

“Nu’ng natalo kami nu’ng game two sa semis last season, gusto namin [in] one week, maglaro ulit, eh. ‘Yun lang ‘yung naging motivation namin pagdating sa araw na ‘to… Dapat ma-maintain natin na hanggang dulo, maging maganda ‘yung composure ng bawat isa (When we lost during game two of the semis last season, we wanted to play again in just the next week. That’s became our only motivation going into this day… We should all make sure that we maintain good composure until the end),” he stated.

The lead tactician also emphasized health as their main priority to be available to vie for the gold in Season 87.

FEU will attempt to extend their dominant start as they face today’s fellow winner, University of the Philippines, on Wednesday, February 19, at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.

(Photo by Karch Rafael/FEU Advocate)