Riding their best start in nearly a decade, the UP Fighting Maroons are out to snap a 13-game, 10-year losing streak against the five-time defending champions NU Bulldogs in UAAP men’s volleyball.
Already off to their best start in nine years, the UP Fighting Maroons are aiming to pull off a major upset as the five-time defending champion NU Bulldogs stand in their way in the UAAP Season 88 men’s volleyball tournament on Saturday, Feb. 28, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
Tip-off is at 3:00 p.m., with live streaming available on the Pilipinas Live app. It will also be aired on the UAAP Varsity Channel.
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Behind another scorching performance from Olayemi Raheem, the Fighting Maroons overcame a mid-game stumble to grind out a 25-23, 25-19, 21-25, 25-22 victory over the DLSU Green Spikers.
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Raheem erupted for 29 points, including three in UP’s decisive 6-3 closing run to seal the hard-fought win in one hour and 47 minutes.
Middle blocker Milven Francisco added 11 points on 9-of-15 attacks, while Abram Robles and Zairus Pacure chipped in a combined 17 markers.
At 2-1, UP is currently tied with the Bulldogs and the UST Golden Spikers for third place in the team standings.
Beyond chasing an upset, the Fighting Maroons are also looking to end their long drought against the Bulldogs.
UP’s last victory over NU came in the first round of Season 78 and since then, Diliman-based squad Maroons have dropped 13 straight matches to the Bulldogs dating back to 2016.
(With reports from Pao Ambat)
[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.]