MANILA, Philippines – The Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws stumbled in the 3rd frame but bounced back to finish off  the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons in 4 sets, 25-13, 25-18, 23-25, 25-18, on Wednesday, February 20, at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan. 

The win propelled FEU to the top spot in the UAAP men’s volleyball tournament at 2-0 while UP fell to a 0-2 record. 

Richard Solis fired 14 points to lead FEU’s balanced scoring effort as 3 other Tamaraws – John Paul Bugaoan (13), Jude Garcia (11) and Peter Quiel (11) – scored double digits. 

The Fighting Maroons had John Mark Millete erupt for 19 points, which helped UP avoid a straight-set drubbing from the Season 80 semifinalist. 

Earlier, the University of Santo Tomas Tiger Spikers won a five-set joust against five-time UAAP finalists Ateneo Blue Eagles, 25-18, 25-22, 22-25, 19-25, 15-12. 

Both UST and Ateneo wound up with identical 1-1 records. 

Manuel Medina (22) and Joshua Umandal (20) combined for 42 points to lead the scoring for UST, which overwhelmed the Tony Koyfman-led squad as the American unloaded 22 points in the losing effort. 

UST’s 34 errors, though, saw Ateneo gaining momentum and extending the match to a deciding set. – Rappler.com