UP's Olayemi Raheem hopes to carry fiery form in clash with FEU

Olayemi Raheem made an early, smashing statement in his UAAP Season 87 debut. 

Raheem lit up the taraflex in the UP Fighting Maroons’ thrilling five-set escape over the UE Red Warriors for a winning start in the men’s volleyball tournament. 

Now the question is if the Nigerian hitter can carry his fiery form in the Diliman-based squad’s second game of the season against the FEU Tamaraws, Wednesday, February 19, 3:00 p.m. at the Filoil EcoOil Centre, San Juan. 

Raheem steered UP’s comeback from a 13-9 deficit late in the fifth and ended up with a smashing 25-point outing in his first UAAP game.  

Daniel Nicolas chipped in 14 markers while veteran Gelay Lagando and Tommy Castrodes added seven points each.

“I knew my teammates needed me, and I did my role,” Raheem said in the post-game press conference. 

Riding high on that stellar game, the former Nigerian youth national team spiker and the Fighting Maroon shift their focus to the Tamaraws, who also won their opening match in the weekend. 

(With reports from Pao Ambat)

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[Editor's note: This article was written by a member of the One Sports Digital with the help of AI, and then checked by the staff to ensure accuracy.]