By Ardyn Gonzales
The University of Sto. Tomas Golden Tigresses showed no mercy to the upset-seeking University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons with a straight-set victory, 25-20, 25-21, 25-18, in the UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball tournament, Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
UP’s Final Four hopes and UST’s chances for the twice-to-beat advantage in the semis were on the line – but it was the Golden Tigresses who prevailed in the match.
In the first set, UST squandered an eight-point lead, 16-8, which allowed UP to make an 8-1 run. Angge Poyos and company stopped the bleeding, but Nina Ytang and Kassy Doering tried to keep the Fighting Maroons within striking distance.
It was Reg Jurado’s turn to score for the Golden Tigresses, pulling off consecutive attacks from the opposite side to clinch the first set.
The first set win dictated the pace of the match, with UST demonstrating grit and composure in the succeeding sets to prevent UP from mounting another upset win.
Poyos led UST with 19 points, supported by the 13 markers of Jurado. Em Banagua was impressive defensively, tallying season-high eight kill blocks for a 12-point performance. Detdet Pepito and Mabeth Hilongo anchored the defense with 23 excellent digs and 15 excellent receptions, respectively.
UST (9-4) is tied with La Salle (9-4) in second place and will need to win against the defending champions NU in their last assignment to have a better chance of securing the twice-to-beat advantage.
Meanwhile, Ytang was the only Fighting Maroon who finished in double-digits with 16 points as the rest of the spikers were held down to single-digit outputs.
Featured image courtesy of UAAP
Follow the writer on X: @sardynas
