UAAP: NU BULLDOGS REACH 10TH STRAIGHT FINALS, ELIMINATE UST

LIVE: UAAP Season 87 men’s volleyball Final Four – NU vs UST

MANILA, Philippines — National University kept its five-peat dream alive after overcoming University of Santo Tomas, 25-23, 25-23, 25-23, for a return trip to the men’s volleyball finals in the UAAP Season 87 on Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Despite squandering a twice-to-beat advantage in a four-set loss last game, the Bulldogs’ championship poise was in full display, marching their way to their 10th straight finals.

READ: UAAP: UST topples NU, forces Final Four do-or-die

NU tallied the longest streak in the men’s volleyball finals, surpassing UST’s nine consecutive from Seasons 57 to 65.

Leo Ordiales stepped up when it mattered most for the Bulldogs, leading the way with 20 points off 19 attacks and a block to withstand their challengers in the past two UAAP finals.

Buds Buddin, who missed the Final Four opener due to a right ankle injury, returned and gave his team a boost in the last two sets by making the winning plays late.

Tied at 23, Buddin sent NU at match point and dug two-time MVP Josh Ybañez’s attack in the next play that led to Jade Disquitado’s game-winning attack.

The Bulldogs booked a 2019 finals rematch against the top seeded Far Eastern University Tamaraws in a best-of-three title series starting on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the same venue.

READ: UAAP: NU reasserts mastery over UST ahead of men’s Final Four

FEU dispatched La Salle in their Final Four matchup last Sunday. The Tamaraws only lost once throughout the season with their only defeat coming at the hands of the Bulldogs in the second round.

The six-time UAAP champion displayed grace under pressure, fighting back from a 21-23 deficit in the second frame as Buddin’s off-the-block hit equalized the game at 23.

Choi Diao drilled a huge block on two-time MVP Josh Ybañez to reach set point, 24-23, as GBoy De Vega committed a costly attack error that sent NU to the verge of the finals with a 2-0 lead.

NU blew a 21-17 lead in Set 1 with a successful net fault challenge by UST, followed by Ybañez’s drop knotted the frame at 23-all.

Ordiales, who had seven points in the first set, stopped the bleeding before Obed Mukaba nailed a big block on Ybañez’s attempt to draw first blood.

UST settled for bronze after back-to-back runner-up finishes the past two seasons.

2025-05-07T08:06:39Z