The University of Santo Tomas Golden Spikers, led by Josh Ybañez, have put up a strong showing against professional teams in the 2025 Spikers' Turf Invitational Conference. Newly added to the tournament as a late replacement, the team has already posted a 3-1 record.
Ybañez led the game on both offense and defense, especially as they defeated the Alpha Insurance Protectors in a tight five-set match, 26-24, 25-22, 35-37, 19-25, 22-20. He scored 20 points from 18 attacks, 1 block, and 1 ace, along with 30 excellent receptions.
Due to his impressive performance, Ybañez was recognized as the Spikers' Turf Player of the Week for November 5 to 7. "I'm proud of my teammates. I'm happy that we got the result we wanted. We still need to practice well," said Ybañez.
Ybañez is reportedly training with the national team for the 33rd Southeast Asian Games, so he will miss UST's next match against Cignal HD Spikers at Paco Arena. Despite this, he enjoyed the opportunity to spike before returning to being a libero.
"Next week, we'll start training. So I'm taking advantage of the time as a spiker. I'm back to being a libero and I'm just enjoying the time I'm still hitting," added Ybañez.
