The UST Golden Tigresses were brought back down to earth after stumbling in another test of their contender status, as the Adamson Lady Falcons outclassed them on Saturday at the Araneta Coliseum.
The Tigresses failed to win a single set, falling to the Lady Falcons 27-25, 25-22, 25-12 for their third loss in five games in UAAP Season 88.
UST sits in sixth place in the standings, while Adamson improved to 3-2 to claim a share of fourth place.
Both of UST’s victories have come against lower-ranked teams, and the Tigresses have yet to find consistency against fellow contenders, claiming only one set across their three losses.
Against Adamson, the Tigresses stayed within striking distance in the opening two sets before a disastrous third frame drained UST’s chances.
Adamson dominated the attack category, 48-41. Reg Jurado led UST with 18 points on 17 attacks, while Avril Bron added 10 markers.
Adamson relied on Shaina Nitura, who fired 22 points on 19 attacks, and Frances Mordi, who tallied 20 points on 18 kills to power the Lady Falcons’ offense.
The match began with both teams trading points before UST carved out a two-point cushion late in the opening set. Adamson then rode late attacks from Mordi and Nitura to ignite a 7-3 finishing burst and snatch the first set, 27-25.
UST again faded in the closing stretch of the second set, allowing a 7-3 Adamson surge, highlighted by two Nitura hits, to fall into a two-set hole, 25-22.
From there, the Golden Tigresses unraveled, allowing Adamson to build a 12-3 lead before Nitura and Mordi continued to hammer UST’s defense in a commanding 25-12 third-set win.
The Tigresses will next face the UP Fighting Maroons on Wednesday, March 11, at the Mall of Asia Arena.
