THE UST Junior Golden Tigresses crashed out of finals contention and settled for a bronze-medal finish after yielding to the Adamson Baby Falcons via reverse sweep, 20-25, 18-25, 25-23, 25-18, 15-9, in the UAAP Season 87 girls’ volleyball semifinals at the FilOil EcoOil Centre on Saturday, Nov. 30.
This marked the Junior Golden Tigresses’ second straight bronze as they ended the eliminations with a third-best 8-4 win-loss record.
Kimberly Rubin and Jhelaine Auxtero paced UST with 14 markers apiece, while Avril Bron contributed 11 points.
Although the Baby Falcons managed to trim the gap midway through the first frame, 17-16, the Junior Golden Tigresses kept them at bay until the end, ultimately sealing the set with Bron’s and Rubin’s back-to-back blocks, 25-20.
UST carried its momentum over into the second canto, gaining a 2-0 set advantage courtesy of Bron’s quick attack, 25-18.
However, Adamson shifted the momentum in the third salvo, overtaking UST with Abegail Segui’s aces, 19-18. UST stayed within striking distance until a service error cost the Junior Golden Tigresses the set and gave the Baby Falcons life, 25-23.
Despite UST’s efforts to close the gap in the fourth set, 16-15, Adamson used a set-winning 9-3 run to force a decider, 25-18.
With Adamson ahead 12-9 in the decider, Lhouriz Tuddao sent the Baby Falcons to match point with back-to-back aces before Ellaine Gonzalvo ripped a cross-court to ice the victory, booking Adamson’s third straight finals appearance.
Segui and Gonzalvo paced the Lady Baby Falcons with 21 markers each, followed by Sam Cantada with 15 and Tuddao with 13.
