UP Fighting Maroons’ Olayemi Raheem makes his UAAP Season 87 men’s volleyball debut.–UAAP PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — The University of the Philippines found a gem in the Nigerian youth national team spiker, Olayemi Raheem.
Raheem had a debut to remember as he lifted new-look UP to a come-from-behind 25-23, 24-26, 25-16, 18-16 win over the University of the East in the UAAP Season 87 men’s volleyball tournament opener on Saturday at Mall of Asia Arena.
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The 19-year-old spiker from Nigeria introduced himself to Philippine volleyball with his athleticism and vicious attacks, firing 25 points built on a 24-of-62 attacking clip and a block off the bench.
READ: UAAP Season 87 volleyball: storylines and games to watch out for
Raheem showed no signs of jitters despite playing in a loud crowd as he spelled the difference in the Fighting Maroons’ fightback from a 1-2 set deficit and a 9-13 hole in the final frame.
The super rookie waxed hot with four clutch hits to reach matchpoint, 14-13, UE extended the fifth set but its costly errors allowed UP to complete its comeback.
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“For me, it’s kind of like a new experience, having a lot of people, drums, and everything, but I never listened to that, I focused on our preparations for the game,” said Raheem. “The mindset of having to win before going into the game, I was only focused on that and winning. I knew my teammates needed me, and I did my role.”
Raheem, who played in the U19 Boys African Nations Volleyball Championship in Morocco in 2022 and the World Championship, relished his opportunity to play in the UAAP, looking forward to learning more from the style of play in the Philippines.
“I have to try to learn how to play Philippine games because it’s quite fast, much of fastballs. It’s a really big challenge but it’s a good [opportunity],” he said.
READ: SCHEDULE: UAAP Season 87 volleyball tournament first round
UP coach Carlo Cabatingan, who also had a winning debut as the new coach, believes Raheem’s addition to the team makes them a possible contender this year.
“It was a very exciting game for us. It was quite a learning experience because half of the team are new to this type of environment. We kind of expected that this will happen that the performance will not go as planned, but the fact that they managed through the emotions, challenges, and issues, that was one of our best games so far as a team,
Besides Raheem, Daniel Nicolas chipped in 14 points, including 11 attacks. Angelo Lagando and Tommy Castrodes chipped in seven points each, while setter Clarence Santiago had 15 excellent sets for the Maroons.
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UE rookie Roy Piojo’s 22-point debut went for naught. John Steve Aligayon had 17 points, while Xjhann Camaymayan added 12.
