UST PREVAILED over a feisty Far Eastern University squad in a topsy-turvy battle for third place in the UAAP Beach Volleyball Competition.
The UST Lady Spikers, composed of Cherry Ann Balse, Melissa Cu, and Verone Gutierrez, rained down various shots, from drops to down-the-line kills in the second and pay-off sets to bury FEU, 15-21, 21-18, 15-11, in a match that saw numerous ties and lead changes last Sept. 29 at the University of the East (UE)-Caloocan football field. Balse topscored for UST with 12 markers.
“I told my team that though they were not playing indoors where they used to, it is not a valid excuse for them not to win for UST,” assistant coach Cesael Delos Santos told the Varsitarian.
Earlier, Balse’s nine markers were not enough to save UST against beach volleyball veteran Adamson University (Adamson), 12-21, 8-21. Adamson went on to win the title, followed by UE.
Beach volleyball is on its first year in the UAAP and is not included in the tally that determines the UAAP overall champion due to its demo sports status.
“The team made efforts to adjust to the new environment and stay competitive throughout the tournament,” Delos Santos said.
The rookie-laden UST Tiger Spikers, however finished sixth in the tournament with a 1-5 win-loss record. Their lone win came from a default against National University because the latter did not arrive on schedule. UST also lost its last assignment against UAAP hosts UE, 13-21, 16-21, with Harvey Ilano carrying the load with 11 markers. Raymond Jude M. Dumaual
