FRAYED nerves on the receiving end denied the UST Lady Spikers a fourth Shakey’s V-League crown, allowing the title-hungry San Sebastian College Lady Stags to snatch the tournament’s fifth season diadem via a 25-16, 21-25, 16-25, 21-25, Game 2 clincher last November 30 at the Arena in San Juan.
The best-of-three finals playbill was the third championship encounter between the two squads. UST won the first two meetings in the two conferences of the tournament’s fourth season.
“San Sebastian has always been a tough opponent ever since. Their key players posed a real threat to us,” coach Cesael de los Santos told the Varsitarian.
UST looked poised to extend the series in the first set as guest players Venus Bernal and Mary Jean Balse piled five straight points on top of a 20-16 lead to give the three-time V-League champions a 1-0 set advantage.
The Lady Spikers took an 11-8 headway in the second set before San Sebastian locked the tally at 13-all. For a moment UST appeared to have regained its offensive bearings on Balse’s timely kills. But San Sebastian hardly panicked, repeatedly feeding the ball to Suzanne Roces, who scored on sleek open attacks that caught UST’s defense off guard and bailed Lady Stags out of trouble.
Ball control problems stalled UST’s floor defense in the third set, paving the way for another San Sebastian breakaway anchored on a Laurence Latigay-sparked 5-9 uprising that pushed the Lady Stags to a comfortable 18-9 lead for good.
UST lagged behind, 1-5, early in the fourth set but immediately tied the game at six apiece on Balse’s kill. The two teams engaged in a neck-and-neck battle before San Sebastian seized the initiative, riding on a 5-1 Benito-Roces surge to hand San Sebastian its first V-League title.
“We’re still happy we reached second place. It was a huge step for the two rookies (Caballejo and Ortiz),” De los Santos said.
Bernal scored 20 points for UST while Roces topscored for the Lady Stags with 22 points. Meanwhile, Aiza Maizo was named as the season’s Best Server.
Solid rejection
Failing to erect an impenetrable defensive wall atop the net, the Lady Spikers succumbed to a nail-biting 21-25, 19-25, 24-26 San Sebastian sweep in Game 1 last November 27.
UST led early in the first set but Roces waxed hot from the attack line, helping San Sebastian tie the count at 10-all which spelled danger for the Lady Spikers.
Latigay then took the cudgels from Roces, igniting a fiery 4-0 blast to close the first canto in favor of San Sebastian.
The same first set meltdown doomed UST in the second frame as the Lady Spikers were again outsmarted by the Lady Stags who shattered a 17-all deadlock en route to wrapping up the second set with a 4-0 assault.
The Lady Spikers tried to reorganize their defense come third set but the Lady Stags surprised them with a 4-0 opening salvo to set the tone of the match. UST refused to surrender just yet, mounting a 4-0 counterattack to knot the contest at 24-apiece before San Sebastian delivered the haymaker with back-to-back kills from Rysabelle Devanadera and Latigay.
Back in the semifinals, UST posted two consecutive victories over Adamson University, 25-17, 25-14, 20-25, 25-9, 15-13 last November 25 and 25-15, 30-28, 24-26, 25-22 last November 23 to offset a 22-25, 18-25, 25-22, 23-25 loss in their first meeting last November 21.
The Lady Spikers also reigned supreme in the earlier game against Ateneo de Manila University, 25-15, 25-23, 27-29, 23-25,15-12 last November 18.
UST boosted its elimination round standing by trouncing the Lyceum of the Philippines, 25-23, 25-10, 25-20, last November 16, and San Sebastian, 25-23, 17-25, 14-25, 27-25, 15-11, last November 14.
