It’s no easy feat being a collegiate team in a league filled with stars and seasoned veterans.

But University of Santo Tomas (UST)-Gameville has been giving other fancied teams a run for their money in the 2025 Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference.

Despite joining as a late replacement, the Golden Spikers, in their first appearance in the tournament since 2018, are doing well all thanks to their versatile open spiker Josh Ybañez.

UST-Gameville’s impressive 3-1 win-loss record is a reflection of Ybañez’s consistent stellar performance.

The Alas Pilipinas standout’s skills both on offense and defense were on full display when the Golden Spikers pulled a gritty five-set nai-lbiter over Alpha Insurance Protectors, 26-24, 25-22, 35-37, 19-25, 22-20, last Friday.

Ybañez tallied 20 points built on 18 attacks, a block, and an ace, along with 30 excellent receptions in the grueling match that pushed both teams to their limits.

For his all-around game on the taraflex, Ybañez earned a much-deserved nod as Spikers’ Turf Press Corps Player of the Week powered by Pilipinas Live for the period of 5 to 7 November.

“Of course, I’m always proud of my teammates. I’m so happy to have ended up getting the result that we wanted,” Ybañez said.

“We all want to win, but as a team, I think we need to train harder.”

Ybañez was voted unanimously over UST-Gameville teammates Al-Bukharie Sali and Edriel Alabar for the weekly honor deliberated by print and online reporters covering the pioneering men’s volleyball league organized by Sports Vision.

Also considered for the recognition were Cignal’s Jay Rack dela Noche, Criss Cross’ Jude Garcia and Noel Kampton, and Savouge’s Shawie Caritativo.

The Golden Spikers take on defending champion Cignal on Wednesday at the Paco Arena, hoping to continue their winning ways in the tournament, which is streamed live and on-demand via the Pilipinas Live app and www.spikersturf.ph.

“I think it’s better if we focus on our team. When we’re focused and we know what we’re doing inside the court as a team, we can compete with any team,” Ybañez said.