University of the Philippines capped off its UAAP Season 87 Men’s Volleyball Tournament campaign with a reverse sweep of Adamson University, 21-25, 19-25, 25-11, 25-12, 15-12, Sunday, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Fighting Maroons rallied from a two-set deficit to complete a season sweep of the Soaring Falcons, finishing the season with a 4-10 record — an improvement from their 1-13 and 2-12 standings in Season 85 and 86. This season also saw them taking title contenders FEU and La Salle to five sets, and snatching sets from second-seed NU.

After playing stiff in the first two sets, UP quickly dominated the third and fourth sets with substitutes Clarence Santiago and Gelay Lagando making a difference each time they were fielded on the court. UP’s blocking, led by the trio of Milven Francisco Jr., Olayemi Raheem, and Gelo Lipata was also on point in the fourth frame, registering six of its total 14 block points in that set.

They, however, had to dig deep after Adamson seized an 8-6 lead early in the fifth frame. A timely 6-1 run led by Tommy Castrodes helped the Fighting Maroons build a 12-9 advantage. Adamson closed the gap to within two at 13-11, but UP responded with successive kills from Raheem to secure the win and sweep its elimination round series against the Falcons.

UP’s balanced attack was led by strong performances from Raheem’s 19 points off 13 attacks, five blocks, and ace, along with seven excellent digs, Castrodes’s 16 points from 15 spikes and one block and 13 excellent receptions, while Lipata added 11 points from seven attacks and four blocks with his 13 receptions. Lagando, Dan Nicolas, and Francisco Jr. each finished with eight.

Adamson went down in its sixth straight defeat, ending the season with a 2-12 record and matching its worst finish since Season 85. Jude Aguilar led the Soaring Falcons with 15 points and six digs, while Dan Gutierrez and Marc Paulino added 13 points each, and Leo Coguimbal chipped in 11.

The Fighting Maroons are expected to retain most of their core next season, with only Nicolas graduating after three years with the team.