THE UST Golden Tigresses captured their first V-League plum in 14 years after clawing the FEU Lady Tamaraws in a rubber match at the Philsports Arena on Friday, Oct 4.
The Tigresses overpowered the Lady Tamaraws in a four-set battle, 26-24, 25-20, 25-21, 25-14, to clinch their first championship since 2010.
The opening of the match was a back-and-forth affair that saw V-League MVP and Tigress open spiker Angge Poyos unleashing a flurry of power kills and scoring three straight points to give her team a slim 23-22 lead.
Despite UST’s offensive rhythm, FEU converted relentless counterattacks led by opposite hitter Faida Bankake and middle blocker Jean Asis to draw first blood in the extended opener, 26-24.
The second salvo got even tighter as the España squad rode the hot hand of Poyos, who ignited back-to-back kills to tie the game at 18-all.
The Morayta-based squad attempted to catch up, but V-League’s Best Setter Cassie Carballo delivered a clutch ace to seal the set and level the match, 25-20.
Both teams continued to trade blows, with Asis slapping down a strong off-the-block hit to allow FEU to tie the match, 11-all.
However, UST bombarded FEU’s defense with lefty Jonna Perdido and Poyos combining for crucial hits to secure the third set, 25-21.
The Tigresses’ championship pedigree shone in the deciding set, surging to an 11-point cushion after Poyos launched a powerful off-the-block hit, 17-6.
With the confetti ready to drop again, Tigress opposite hitter Reg Jurado took matters into her own hands to end the Lady Tamaraws’ title bid, 25-14.
“It’s very overwhelming… it’s been a long time before we brought it back to [UST],” UST playmaker Carballo told The Flame.
“Extremely grateful for my teammates… What we went through to get this [championship] is no joke,” she added.
Carballo was named Finals MVP after racking up 19 excellent sets for UST. But it was Poyos who came out big by dropping 31 points on 29 kills. Lefty spikers Jurado and Perdido contributed 15 and 10 markers, respectively.
Bankake spearheaded FEU’s offense with 16 markers. Asis added 12 points to the mix.
“We’re happy, but there’s still a long way to go… We’ve seen both our strengths and weaknesses,” UST team captain Detdet Pepito said post-game. F – Rishna Joy Maglinao
