THE REIGNING champions NU Lady Bulldogs weathered the UST Golden Tigresses in a five-setter showdown, 23-25, 25-17, 19-25, 25-18, 15-9, to complete a sweep in the first round of the UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball tournament on Sunday, March 16, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
UST’s winning streak ended at five games after falling short against NU in their first affair since the Season 86 Finals.
The Lady Bulldogs remained at the top spot of the standings with a clean 7-0 slate. Meanwhile, the Tigresses fell to a 5-2 record, sharing the second spot with the DLSU Lady Spikers.
To open the highly-anticipated match, consecutive aces and a block from UST middle blockers Bianca Plaza and Pia Abbu turned the tide to overtake NU, 14-12.
Both teams engaged in a see-saw battle until Tigress lefty Reg Jurado took the tight set with an off-the-block hit, 25-23.
In the second set, the Bustillos-based squad put the match at a 12-all deadlock after back-to-back combination plays from power duo Bella Belen and Alyssa Solomon.
Despite UST taking a lead heading into the second technical timeout, NU surged to an 11-1 blitz to claim the second salvo, 25-17.
The Tigresses went on a 5-0 run to open the third set as Abbu denied Solomon at the net. The Lady Bulldogs tried to respond but their 11 errors put them at a 2-1 set disadvantage, 25-19.
NU refused to back down as Solomon steered her team to a 16-11 lead midway through the fourth frame. The opposite spiker then forced a decider after a long bomb, 25-18.
The defending champions maintained control in the final set, putting their foes at an 11-5 hole.
Jurado breathed life into the Tigresses but the Lady Bulldogs proved too much as Solomon’s hit slipped through the defense to take the win.
Solomon led NU’s offense with 24 points on 21 attacks and three blocks, while Belen delivered an MVP performance built on 19 points, 17 digs and 15 receptions. Vangie Alinsug and Erin Pangilinan added 17 and 12 markers respectively.
Jurado paced UST with 16 points after Poyos was limited to 13. Playmaker Cassie Carballo contributed a season-high 10 markers to go along with 27 excellent sets.
The Tigresses will open the second round against the Adamson Lady Falcons on March 19 at the FilOil EcoOil Centre. F
