The FEU Tamaraws and UE Red Warriors closed out the first round of the UAAP Season 86 men's volleyball tournament with victories over the Ateneo Blue Eagles and UP Fighting Maroons, respectively.
Far Eastern University close out the first round at the top of the standings after sweeping Ateneo de Manila University, 25-23, 25-22, 25-19, in the UAAP Season 86 men’s volleyball tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday, March 17.
The Blue Eagles were trailing by just one midway through the third set, but FEU rookies Lirick Mendoza and Andrei Delicana combined forces to steer the Tamaraws to victory.
FEU had another balanced outing with Martin Bugaoan finishing with 12 points, Dryx Saavedra adding 11, and Mendoza chipping in with 10.
Delicana and Jayjay Javelona also made significant contributions, each scoring 12 points, while Ariel Cacao recorded 20 excellent sets along with six points, including a game-high five blocks.
The Tamaraws climbed to a 6-1 record, tying with National University, the only team to defeat them. However, they secured the top spot thanks to their higher points tally.
After their impressive victory against the University of Santo Tomas, the Blue Eagles faced consecutive defeats, causing them to fall to a 3-4 record, putting them on par with Adamson University for fifth place.
Jian Salarzon led Ateneo with 15 points and 16 receptions, while Amil Pacinio and Ken Batas contributed 11 points each.
In the second game, the University of the East ended its seven-game losing streak after after overcoming the University of the Philippines in five sets, 25-21,19-25, 28-30, 27-25, 15-12.
In the fifth set, the Red Warriors started with a 3-0 run powered by a quick attack by Angelo Reyes and a kill block by Axel Defeo.
After scoring back-to-back points to close the gap at 12-14, a service error by Nino Bersano sealed UE's first win in the season.
Defeo led the Red Warriors with 21 points built on 16 attacks and five blocks, while Tebs Aligayon contributed 21 markers as well.
Angelo Lagando and Louis Gamban, on the other hand, combined for 44 points for the still-winless Fighting Maroons.