The UST Golden Tigresses will have another game to fight for their hopes of a twice-to-beat advantage as they came up short against the NU Lady Bulldogs, 23-25, 25-17, 25-18, 22-25, 15-9, in the final elimination game of the UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday, April 27.
UST dropped to a 9-5 record, placing it in a three-way tie for second place alongside the DLSU Lady Spikers and the FEU Lady Tamaraws.
However, the Tigresses and Lady Spikers hold the superior set ratio in the tiebreaker, allowing them to fight for the No. 2 seed and the twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four.
A win against NU would have propelled UST to the No. 2 spot and given them the outright twice-to-beat advantage against the Lady Spikers.
It was a non-bearing game for the Lady Bulldogs, who had already secured the No. 1 spot but fielded graduating stars like Bella Belen and Alyssa Solomon, expected to turn professional after this season, for their final UAAP elimination round appearance. NU rose to 12-2 and will face the No. 4 Lady Tamaraws in the Final Four.
“I’m happy in a way na inilaban namin hanggang dulo kahit na may mga nararamdaman,” UST head coach Emilio “Kung Fu” Reyes said postgame. “Ang players namin ngayon, talagang nilalaban si UST at all cost hanggang sa last play.”
“Pero dahil dito sa learnings namin, talagang may babaguhin talaga kami. Sabi ko nga, championship material tayo, pero marami pa tayong dapat maintindihan.”
After a 4-all deadlock, UST zoomed to an 8-3 run before keeping the Lady Bulldogs at bay for the rest of the first set to draw first blood, 25-23.
NU came out swinging in the second set, jumping to an 8-2 start en route to a lopsided 25-17 win to tie the game at one set apiece.
The Lady Bulldogs extended their dominance into the third frame, starting with an 8-1 run as the Tigresses struggled to find their stride, eventually falling to a 2-1 hole with a 25-18 loss.
UST regained control in the fourth, leaning on Reg Jurado, who scored seven points to contain NU’s rampage and force the decider after a set-winning 5-1 run, 25-22.
However, Belen and Vange Alinsug took over for the Lady Bulldogs in the fifth set, outplaying the Tigresses down the stretch to seize the victory.
NU dominated the Tigresses in digs, tallying 71 compared to UST’s 52.
The Lady Bulldogs also orchestrated their offense better with 34 excellent sets, 31 of which came from Lams Lamina. In comparison, UST had only 23, with Cassie Carballo recording 18.
Jurado led UST with 19 points on 17 attacks, while Angge Poyos put up 15 markers. Beth Hilongo contributed 12 points, while Marga Altea had 10.
Belen led the charge for the Lady Bulldogs with 26 points, while Alyssa Solomon backed her up with 23.
The Golden Tigresses will face the Lady Spikers in the playoff for No. 2 on Wednesday, April 30, at the Mall of Asia Arena. The winner of the game will hold a twice-to-beat edge in the Final Four.
We are behind and continue to support our golden Tigresses. Good luck on Wednesday’s game. We know you can do it. We are proud of your fighting spirit.