By Ardyn Gonzales
The University of the Philippines Lady Maroons ended the first round of elimination in the winning column after defeating the University of the East Lady Warriors, 25-21, 25-20, 20-25, 25-17, in the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
The Lady Maroons fought hard in this match with five players finishing in double-digits, compensating for the absence of top middle blocker Nina Ytang.
Steph Bustrillo tallied season-high 24 points on 22 attacks, while Irah Jaboneta and Joan Monares made their presence felt with 12 points each. The middle blocker duo of Nica Celis and Jan Baclay produced 10 markers apiece.
After winning the first two sets, UP struggled to contain the scoring outputs of rookie sensation Caisey Dongallo. Jewel Encarnacion and Bustrillo tried to steal the set with a couple of points but Dongallo had other plans.
The fourth set started tight with the Lady Maroons and Lady Warriors exchanging attacks and errors but it was UP who was able to pull away and restore a wide margin, 19-13. Monares, Encarnacio, and Bustrillo then took over for the Lady Maroons as the game ended with a service ace coming from Bustrillo.
The Lady Maroons were able to overcome the 26-point outing of Dongallo as they tallied their first win after 17 games dating back to the previous season.
Featured image courtesy of UAAP
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