The UST Golden Tigresses handed the DLSU Lady Spikers their first loss in the UAAP Season 85 women’s volleyball tournament behind a 29-point Eya Laure explosion, 25-19, 14-25, 25-18, 25-12, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday.
All of Laure’s 29 points were from attacks. She became the league’s top scorer after her MVP-worthy performance.
“Masaya dahil may katulong na, lahat kami nagtutulungan. Hindi tulad dati, ngayon after the game nakakangiti pa, ngayon may katulong na ako.” Laure said after the game.
Milena Alessandrini scored a career-high 20 points, while rookie Regina Jurado poured in 13 markers for UST.
A 12-5 UST run capped by an Alessandrini off-speed hit gave the Tigresses the first set, 25-19.
But the Lady Spikers came alive in the second frame after converting six blocks that led them to equalize the match, 25-14.
UST bounced back in the third frame after converting 18 attacks. Regina Jurado sealed the set-win with an off-the-block kill, 25-18.
The Golden Tigresses never looked back in the fourth set as Laure converted back-to-back kills to complete the upset, 25-12.
UST’s Bernadett Pepito had a double-double performance of 25 digs and 11 receptions.
Angel Canino was the lone double-digit scorer for La Salle with 13 points.
The Tigresses eliminated the possibility of a stepladder format in the semifinals after dealing DLSU its first loss of the season.
La Salle remained at the top spot with a 9-1 record, while UST improved to a 7-3 record.
Before pulling off the massive upset of La Salle, UST earlier this season halted the NU Lady Bulldogs’ 20-game winning streak after prevailing in five sets.
The UST Golden Tigresses will next face the Ateneo Blue Eagles on April 15, Saturday, 2 p.m., at the PhilSports Arena.
