Setters took center stage in the second week of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 86 volleyball tournaments — two of whom shone in their respective squads' strong runs of form midway through the first round of the preliminaries.

University of Santo Tomas' sophomore playmaker Cassie Carballo embodied grace under pressure in orchestrating a five-set comeback win over Far Eastern University to still stand tall as the last unbeaten team in the women's tilt at 4-0.

With 25 excellent sets and eight points on five aces and three attacks to her name, Carballo earned the nod from college scribes as the Collegiate Press Corps' UAAP Player of the Week presented by San Miguel Corporation for the period of 28 February to 3 March.

"I'm so thankful to my teammates because they were with me when I was playing bad in the first and second sets. It took me quite some time to gain my groove so I told myself that I have to bounce back in the third, fourth and fifth sets," Carballo said.

"I really need to polish a lot of things. I haven't met the standards that the coaches had set for me. That's what we're working on every day."

The Tigresses' go-to orchestrator bested fellow Thomasian ace Angge Poyos, De La Salle University's Thea Gagate, National University's Bella Belen, Ateneo de Manila University's Lyann De Guzman, and Adamson University's Barbie Jamili for the weekly honor also backed by minor sponsors Discovery Suites and Jockey.

Meanwhile, UAAP's reigning best setter and Finals Most Valuable Player Joshua Retamar waxed hot for the NU Bulldogs not only in setting up plays but also in firing the shots himself.

Retamar dished out 31 excellent sets in NU's four-set rout of Adamson prior to a career-high 12 points and 20 excellent sets in a sweep of UP, steering the Bulldogs to back-to-back victories.

As one of the Bulldogs' senior figures, Retamar did lead by example and went out to prove that his steady hands can be lethal on the floor in more ways than one.

"I'm always thinking that I have to perform in blocking, service and defense now that I'm the senior in the team. My coaches trust me and I will not put that trust to waste," said Retamar after beating Far Eastern University's Andrei Delicana, La Salle's JM Ronquillo, and UST's Josh Ybañez for the men's Player of the Week plum.