By Ardyn Gonzales
National University Lady Bulldogs got the better of the University of Sto. Tomas Lady Tigresses in their second round match-up, 25-16, 25-21, 17-25, 25-14, in the UAAP Season 85 women’s volleyball tournament, Wednesday, at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
NU hit two birds with one stone as they exacted revenge on their first round tormentor and at the same time, inched closer to the coveted last semis bonus slot.
After winning the first two sets, the Lady Bulldogs struggled in the third as they trailed behind a ten-point disadvantage and eventually lost.
However, their championship experience kicked in as after their 11-9 lead ballooned to 18-9 after Cess Robles and Alyssa Solomon started an unanswered run which created a huge separation with UST. With NU’s turn to establish a ten-point cushion at set point, Mhicaela Belen provided the finishing kill which gave the defending champions the solo second spot.
Alyssa Solomon led NU with 17 points, while Michaela Belen dominated the scoring and non-scoring departments with 16 markers on 13 attacks, two kill blocks, and a service ace to go with 12 excellent receptions.
Eya Laure and Imee Hernandez continued to carry the scoring load for the Lady Tigresses with 17 and 14 points, respectively. UST is now tied with Adamson at 9-4 as both teams need to win their remaining games and hope NU loses against Ateneo to force a playoff for the last twice-to-beat advantage.
Featured image courtesy of UAAP
Follow the writer on Twitter: @sardynas
