Jan. 28, 2015, 5:02 p.m. – ROOKIE
Cherry Rondina led the UST Golden Tigresses in a 25-22, 25-19, 25-18 romp of
the National University Lady Bulldogs in the second round of the UAAP Season 77
women’s volleyball tournament at the MOA Arena Wednesday.
Rondina, who scored a team-high
15 points, caught fire in the third set unleashing a flurry of crosscourt
attacks and also blocking the 6’4” Jaja Santiago. She led a 9-2 UST run and
put the Tigresses on match point, 24-16.
After the Lady Bulldogs managed
to save two points, she put the finishing touches on the Tigresses’ third
consecutive win with another hit.
UST climbed to 4-5 win-loss
record to tie NU, Far Eastern University and the University of the Philippines
for third place.
Midway through the third frame,
UST dropped a 6-2 salvo capped by an ace by Jessey de Leon for a 12-9 lead.
“Kailangan namin ito para
makasali sa Final Four pero we take it one game at a time,” head coach
Odjie Mamon said. “Umaangat kami at maganda pa rin ang mindset ng
team.”
Down by one in the second set,
the Tigresses countered with an 8-1 blitz, highlighted by Ria Meneses’ block,
to pull away from NU, 23-17.
In the first set, the Tigresses
came back from an early seven-point deficit as EJ Laure provided the killer
blows down the stretch for a 25-22 win that set the tone for the remainder of
the match.
UST will try to make it four in a
row in a rematch against the FEU Lady Tamaraws on Saturday, Feb. 1, at the San
Juan Arena. Karl
Cedrick G. Basco
