The Ateneo Blue Eagles claimed their third win after hacking out a five-set victory over the UST Golden Spikers, while the FEU Tamaraws dominated the Adamson Soaring Falcons in a straight-set win.
Ateneo de Manila University added to the University of Santo Tomas' woes after pulling off a five-set upset, 15-25, 32-30, 20-25, 25-20, 17-15, in the UAAP Season 86 men’s volleyball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena on Saturday, March 9.
The decisive set was a back-and-forth struggle, with neither side managing more than a one-point lead until the score reached 15-all.
At that point, Ken Batas secured match point for the Blue Eagles with a down-the-line shot, followed by Amil Pacinio's serve, which the Golden Spikers failed to receive properly, allowing Jian Salarzon to tip the ball for the winning point after a two-hour and thirty-two-minute match.
With this victory, the Blue Eagles returned to the win column with a 3-2 record, propelling them into the upper half of the standings.
On the other hand, the Golden Spikers extended their losing streak to three games, dropping them out of the top four with a 2-3 record.
Salarzon led Ateneo's offense with 22 points and 28 excellent receptions, while Batas and Pacinio contributed 18 and 17 points, respectively.
Despite Josh Ybañez's impressive performance of 31 points for the Golden Spikers, it wasn't enough to secure a win.
Popoy Colinares scored 18 points while Gboy de Vega added 16 markers.
In the second game, Far Eastern University overpowered the Adamson Soaring Falcons for a straight-set victory, 25-23, 25-20, 25-19.
The Falcons managed to keep in step with the Tamaraws in the third set. But after trimming the lead to just one at 15-16, Adamson committed three straight errors which gave FEU its groove back to seal the victory.
The Tamaraws leaned on its trio of Dryx Saavedra, Martin Bugaoan, and Andrei Delicana to power the team to its fifth win in Season 86.
Saavedra led FEU with 13 points, nine attacks, three blocks, and one ace, while Bugaoan and Delicana added 10 points apiece.
Francis Casas was the lone double-digit scorer for Adamson with 17 markers.
The Tamaraws now sit at the top of the standings with a 5-1 record. The Falcons, on the other hand, move to 2-3, tied with UST.