MANILA, Philippines -- “Nothing personal.”
University of Santo Tomas Golden Spiker Gboy de Vega said that his staredowns and trash talking with “brother” Benny Martinez of Far Eastern University were nothing personal as the two were former teammates.
On Wednesday, as UST clinched its seat in the UAAP season 86 men’s volleyball finals, de Vega stared down Martinez after punching in crucial points in the third set.
With the third set tied at 24, the Golden Spikers went to de Vega, who then scored on a kill off the block of Martinez. Replays showed the outside hitter nodding his head up and down as he looked at the FEU stalwart.
In the next play, UST went to the 22-year-old again, who again went through Martinez's block. That time, he put a finger up and looked directly at his opponent while uttering a few words.
After the game, he emphasized that there were no ill intentions in the heated moments, saying that despite being on opposite ends of the taraflex, their history still binds them.
“Actually, Benny, he’s like a real brother to me. We were teammates in Grade 8, when I was still with FEU… There’s nothing personal about it, just happy happy,” he told Philstar.com.
“I was really happy playing with him, and I did not expect that we would play against each other in this kind of league,” he added.
De Vega came up big for the Golden Spikers against the Tamaraws, finishing with 18 points off 16 attacks, a block and an ace.
He also tallied 13 excellent receptions and three excellent digs.
The España-based squad had a historic run to the finals, being the first four-seed to go to the championship round.
They will be facing the National University Bulldogs starting Saturday.