THE UST Junior Golden Tigresses toppled the Nazareth School of National University Lady Bullpups in a five-set thriller, 23-25, 25-19, 25-21, 17-25, 15-11, to secure the No. 2 seed ahead of the UAAP girls’ volleyball stepladder semifinals at the Adamson University Gym on Wednesday, Jan. 31.
The win guaranteed UST a podium finish. Up next for the Junior Golden Tigresses is the winner of the do-or-die game between the third-seeded NSNU and fourth-seeded Far Eastern University-Diliman.
With UST down by one in the fifth set, 5-4, the Junior Golden Tigresses went on a 5-0 run to establish a 9-5 lead.
The Lady Bullpups tried to keep pace with UST, trimming the lead down to two, 13–11.
However, a costly service error by Lot Serneche sent UST to match point before Marga Altea sealed the game with a block point.
In the first set, NU overcame a 12-5 UST run and denied the Junior Golden Tigresses’ comeback attempt to draw first blood, 25-23.
Tied at 15-all in the second frame, UST blasted away with a 10-4 run to tie the game at one set apiece, 25-19.
The Junior Golden Tigresses kept their momentum in the third salvo and gained a two-sets-to-one advantage after a 25-21 win.
NSNU came alive in the fourth frame and gave UST a taste of its own medicine, igniting a 15-7 spurt to force a decider.
“Magandang motivation na with a high note ‘yung pagpasok naming sa stepladder,” UST head coach Kung Fu Reyes said postgame.
“Maganda lang din talaga na waiting kami kung sinong mananalo kay FEU at saka kay NU so ang pinaka-advantage namin is makakapahinga kami.”
The Junior Golden Tigresses will now have the opportunity to start another Final Four streak after its streak of nine straight podium finishes that started in Season 74 was snapped last year.
