By Ardyn Gonzales
The De La Salle University Lady Spikers outlasted the University of Sto. Tomas Golden Tigresses to finally crack the UST puzzle, 15-25, 15-25, 25-17, 24-26, 25-20, 16-14, in the UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball tournament, Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
Angel Canino willed the Lady Spikers to the victory with season-high 27 points on 24 attacks to go with 13 excellent receptions and 13 excellent digs.
After being dominated in the opening set, and narrowly losing the third, La Salle showed composure in the fourth frame to force a decider. With a 23-20 lead, Amie Provido came up with a well-placed running attack just behind UST’s blockers, followed by a timely service ace by Mikole Reyes.
It was a seesaw battle between La Salle and UST in the fifth set with both teams just exchanging points and forcing a series of deadlocks.
However, when the Golden Tigresses took the lead at 13-12, a timeout from the Lady Spikers sparked a 2-0 run to reach match point, featuring Shevana Laput with back-to-back points from a down-the-line attack and a kill block on Angge Poyos.
UST saved one, but La Salle was already locked in and got another consecutive points to escape the Golden Tigresses after the deuce.
It was the Lady Spikers’ first win against UST since Season 85, giving them a solo second spot in the rankings.
Meanwhile, Regina Jurado was the top scorer for the Golden Tigresses with 22 points, followed by Poyos who was struggling offensively and limited to a rare 12-point output in a five-setter match. UST suffered their third straight defeat this season and is now ranked fourth in the standings.
Featured image courtesy of UAAP
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