Sept. 28, 2014, 9:45 p.m. – UST’S title-retention bid is in jeopardy after the Junior Golden
Tigresses bowed to National University, 17-25, 20-25, 25-20, 21-25, in Game 1
of the UAAP Season 77 girls’ volleyball finals at the Adamson gym, Sunday.
The Junior Golden Tigresses opened the
fourth frame with a 3-0 lead capped by a block from team captain Pauline
Gaston. But NU answered with five straight points, three coming from UST’s
errors, 5-3.
UST committed another service error to
position the Lady Bulldogs at match point, 24-20. Rica Diolan sealed the win
for NU with a powerful attack, 25-21.
Head coach Emilio Reyes admitted their
errors caused UST’s downfall in Game 1 of their finals rematch with NU.
“Nagkalat ‘yung errors. Umaakyat
na ‘yung scores natin [UST] pero tayo naman binibigyan natin ng puntos ‘yung
kalaban,” he said.
Heading into a do-or-die Game 2, the
Tigresses will try to find their groove and lessen their errors ito extend the
series to three games, Reyes said.
In the third set, Alyssa Teope hit
back-to-back aces to give the Tigresses a 19-18 lead.
Eya Laure also fired cross-court
attacks late in the set to help UST steal the win, 25-20, and stretch the game
to a fourth set.a
In the second frame, UST used a 5-0
rally to overcome a 5-9 disadvantage. But NU mounted their own 10-1 blitz for a
19-11 lead before completing a 25-20 set win.
The
Junior Golden Tigresses will try to forge a winner-takes-all Game three against
NU when the best-of-three series resumes on Oct. 2, Thursday, 2 p.m. at the
same venue. Angelica P. Abello
