The UST Golden Tigresses decimated the FEU Lady Tamaraws in straight sets, 25-22, 25-18, 25-14, to inch closer to winning their first V-League title in 14 years at the Philsports Arena on Sunday, Sept. 29.
UST produced three double-digit scorers in the sweep, led by Angge Poyos with 15 points, followed by Reg Jurado and Jonna Perdido who chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively.
With the win, the Golden Tigresses not only moved closer to completing an unblemished run in the tournament but also winning their first V-League title since 2010.
“We are very happy na naka-recover kami doon sa first set. Sumunod sila doon sa sistema ng team, ‘yong hanggang walang whistle, walang titigil,” UST head coach Emilio “Kung Fu” Reyes told the Varsitarian.
“Na-compensate namin ‘yon, ‘yong galing ng team sa depensa, na-compensate sa atake,” he added.
The Golden Tigresses shrugged off a shaky start, turning a 22-18 deficit to a 25-22 first-set victory with a decisive 7-0 run.
The momentum carried over into the second set as an attack by Poyos, a quick hit by Em Banagua, and a block and an ace by Jurado sealed the second set for the Golden Tigresses, gaining a two-sets-to-none advantage, 25-18.
Back-to-back hits by Poyos propelled UST to a 19-9 lead, burying FEU down a 10-point hole that proved to be too insurmountable for the Lady Tamaraws.
“‘Yong blocking department, aayusin namin ‘yan, pati combination plays. Kasi ‘yong plays namin nandiyan na ‘yan, tsaka ‘yong matchups, ia-adjust din namin ‘yan,” Reyes added.
Jean Asis paced the Lady Tamaraws in the loss with nine points, while Gerzel Petallo added eight points.
The UST Golden Tigresses will look to seal its unbeaten V-League run in Game 2 of the best-of-three finals at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 2, at the same venue. with reports from Karla Louise B. Maningas
