Flashing form anew, Josh Ybañez carried the cudgels for the UST Tiger Spikers to vanquish the FEU Tamaraw Spikers, 25-22, 26-24, 20-25, 25-18, to notch their fourth win in the V-League Collegiate Challenge on Sunday, September 3, inside Paco Arena in Manila.

Ybañez was virtually unstoppable in the match, posting 33 points off 29 attacks, three blocks, and one ace, punctuated by a cross-court hit that sealed the win and a semi-final berth for UST.

The Tiger Spikers had to overcome a faulty third set, which saw them commit 10 of their total 35 errors in the game, paving the way for the Tamaraws to sneak past them and force pressure on the España-based crew in the fourth set.

UST then adjusted, came out relentless with its attacks, and created a gap early on to finish the job and inch closer to the first seed in the tournament standings after five games played.

Rainier Flor contributed 14 points on 11 kills, while Gboy De Vega added 10 markers to aid UST in dominating the attack department.

The Tiger Spikers were dominant with their attacks, tallying 63 kills in the matchup, 20 more than what the Tamaraws eked out.

Setter Dux Yambao also proved to be instrumental in that facet for UST with 18 excellent sets, alongside eight points off five attacks, and three blocks.

The Tiger Spikers will be facing the number one seed Ateneo Blue Eagles next — a matchup that, for head coach Odjie Mamon, requires the team to play sharp on both ends of the game.

“We'll prepare for Ateneo. Hindi kami dapat dumepensa dun, dapat sumuntok rin kami," said Mamon.