CALL it playing a spoiler’s role in season-ending consolation victories.
The Golden Tigresses upset Adamson University, 25-23, 25-18, 23-25, 25-15 while Mark Gil Alfafara exploded for 24 points as he powered the Tiger Spikers to a 25-23, 25-19, 25-17 victory over the University of the Philippines (UP) in their respective season-enders at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum last Feb. 15.
Both España-based spikers failed to make it to the Final Four in their respective divisions for the second straight season, with both teams finishing at sixth place with an identical 5-9 win-loss slate.
The Tigresses registered a season-high 19 block points, 13 of them came in the first two sets, to frustrate the shorter Adamson squad, which eventually grabbed the last Final Four ticket after the playoffs against Far Eastern University.
In the fourth set, UST dictated the tempo after Chloe Cortez, who chalked up a career-high 14 markers, released back-to-back shots, 10-5. Carmela Tunay blocked Adamson’s Shiela Pineda before coming up with a service ace for a seven-point UST advantage, 17-10.
Mayette Zapanta tried to revive the Lady Falcons with a through-the-block hit, but UST still took the set and the win through a Ria Meneses kill.
The Tigresses had a chance to close out the match in straight sets as Cortez’s attack gave them a 23-22 lead. But Adamson extended the game to four sets courtesy of Erika Alkuino’s quicker.
Pam Lastimosa and Tunay carried UST with 18 and 17 points, respectively, while Pineda paced Adamson with 21 markers.
On the men’s side, Alfafara denied a Jeff Lansangan attack to give UST an early three-point cushion in the third set, 6-3. Jason Sarabia’s back-to-back service aces then stretched the lead, 11-6.
The Fighting Maroons capitalized on a couple of errors by the Tiger Spikers before Lansangan, who led UP with 11 markers, went for a crosscourt spike to cut the deficit to one, 10-11.
However, Alfafara stopped the UP surge with a crosscourt hit of his own that went through three blockers, before a Kevin Dela Cruz block which sparked a 6-1 run to put the Tiger Spikers in command again, 18-12.
Alfafara stunned the Fighting Maroons with consecutive through-the-block attacks, topped with an uncontested down-the-middle hit to eventually close the set and the match.
“Our team is strong. It’s just that they have inconsistencies in intensity. I have to push them that regardless of the score, they need to keep their intensity high,” coach Emil Lontoc said.
The Tiger Spikers were phenomenal in their win despite missing the services of starters Christian Arbasto, Romnick Rico, setter John David Subierre and rookie standout Kris Roy Guzman due to problems with their uniforms.
“We still have to go through a long preparation to regain our flair. We’re expecting strong, new players next season and we have an intact roster, losing only Arbasto who has exhausted his playing years,” Lontoc said.
