The UST Golden Tigresses shook off a sluggish start to take down the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons, 16-25, 25-13, 25-19, 25-20, in the UAAP Season 88 women’s volleyball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena on Wednesday, March 11.
Coming off a straight-set loss to Adamson University, the Golden Tigresses bounced back by tallying 53 attack points against UP’s 42.
With the victory, the Golden Tigresses stretched their winning streak over the Fighting Maroons to eight games, a run that dates back to Season 84 in 2022.
UST now shares fourth place with UP as both teams hold identical 3-3 records.
Angge Poyos led UST in the win with 24 points on 20 attacks, while Reg Jurado put up 16 markers off 15 attacks. Jonna Perdido added 12 points in the Tigresses’ win.
Plagued by 10 errors in the first set, the Golden Tigresses struggled to settle early, allowing UP to establish a 16-9 advantage in the opening frame.
The Fighting Maroons fended off a late push from UST to claim their lone set of the match, 25-16.
The Tigresses found their rhythm in the second set after three straight errors from UP gave them a 13-8 lead.
UST then closed the frame with a 12-5 run, punctuated by Kianne Olango’s attack error to level the match, 25-13.
With the third set tied at 11-all, the Tigresses broke away with a 9-3 surge, highlighted by three consecutive kills from Poyos to hand UST a six-point edge, 20-14. Perdido wrapped up the set with a drop ball to seal the third frame, 25-19.
Trailing 13-9 in the fourth set, the Tigresses unleashed a 15-3 run, capped by Xyza Gula’s conversion to take a 21-16 lead.
UP’s Jelai Gajero answered with three straight points to trim the deficit to two, 21-19, but the Tigresses responded with a 4-0 burst, finished by Jaz Manguilimotan’s service error to secure the win, 25-20.
Nina Ytang led UP with 14 points, while Jelai Gajero added 12 for the Fighting Maroons.
The Golden Tigresses will next face the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws to end Round 1 on Saturday, March 14, at the same venue.
