UST Golden Spikers’ Josh Ybanez during a UAAP Season 86 men’s volleyball Final Four match against the FEU Tamaraws.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — Josh Ybañez remained as the king of UAAP men’s volleyball after retaining his MVP crown in Season 86 moments before University of Santo Tomas’ do-or-die Game 2 against the four-peat-seeking National University on Wednesday at Mall of Asia Arena.
The sophomore spiker became the first back-to-back league top individual player since his fellow rookie MVP Marck Espejo of Ateneo won two in a row before ending his collegiate career as a five-time winner.
Ybañez continued to dominate the league with his scoring prowess and steady floor defense as he also emerged as the 1st Best Outside Spiker.
LIVE UPDATES: UAAP Season 86 volleyball Finals NU vs UST Game 2
The 21-year-old spiker is on a mission to extend the Finals series as UST seeks to bounce back from a straight-set loss in Game 1.
Last year, Ybañez became the men’s league’s second Rookie of the Year and MVP, becoming UST’s first MVP since Mark Alfafara, who is now part of coach Odjie Mamon’s coaching staff, won the award in Season 75 last 2013 and also emerging as a Tiger to win the top rookie in 15 years since Jayson Ramos in Season 70.
The #UAAPSeason86 men’s Individual awardees | @LanceAgcaoilINQ pic.twitter.com/5mhVKUiDOO
— INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) May 15, 2024
The Bulldogs’ freshman Jade Disquitado won the Rookie of the Year, becoming the first NU player to win the award since the first season of his graduating teammate Nico Almendras in 2019.
READ: Josh Ybanez leads UST rally past NU in UAAP men’s volleyball
Almendras won the 2nd Best Outside Spiker, while Owa Retamar was once again a runaway Best Setter winner for the second straight season.
Far Eastern University star Dryx Saavedra earned the Best Opposite Spiker, while his teammate Martin Bugaoan was the 1st Best Middle Blocker despite the Tamaraws’ Final Four exit losing twice to No.4 UST.
La Salle, which fell to NU in the Final Four, had two individual awardees with Nat Del Pilar nabbing the 2nd Best Middle Blocker and Menard Guerrero being named as the Best Libero.
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