THE CINDERELLA run of the UST Golden Tigresses came to an end as they bowed to the two-time defending champions NU Lady Bulldogs, 25-19, 24-26, 24-26, 21-25, in the UAAP Season 88 Final Four stepladder on Saturday, May 2, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Following the loss, the Tigresses bid farewell to team captain and libero Detdet Pepito, who concluded her fifth and final year. She laid it all out in her swan song, tallying 23 excellent digs and eight receptions.
The España squad may also lose the services of Cassie Carballo, Xyza Gula, and Reg Jurado, who have yet to decide on their final playing year.
Jurado paced UST with 19 points built on 17 attacks and two blocks, while Angge Poyos scored 14 markers in the loss. Lefty spiker Jonna Perdido, who is also set to graduate, chipped in 11.
Two consecutive hammers from Poyos allowed the Tigresses to embark on a 6-1 run, which allowed them to pounce to an 18-12 lead in the opening set.
The Lady Bulldogs’ comeback attempts were thwarted through an off-the-block kill from Poyos and a block from Carballo to end the set, 25-19
UST went down early in the second set, 10-7, but slowly caught up to midway to take a 20-17 edge through the efforts of Perdido and Lianne Penuliar.
The Tigresses eight costly errors coincided with the awakening of NU team captain Vange Alinsug, who blasted three crucial hits to extend the set. An attack from Arah Panique and an untimely miscommunication error from UST sealed the set, 26-24
UST got off to another shaky start but recovered as NU errors and attacks from Perdido and Lianne Penuliar took an early 11-8 lead.
An all-out brawl late in the third went in favor of the reigning champions, as an error from Poyos and a big kill from Alinsug gave NU a 2-1 set lead, 26-24.
UST came alive early in the fourth set behind four attacks from Jurado and a service ace from Avril Bron, 14-9. Alinsug then went on an offensive frenzy in the waning moments of the match, scoring four straight points to give her team a slim 19-18 lead.
A mishit from Jurado brought out match-point for NU, while a block from Alexa Mata ultimately closed out UST’s campaign.
Panique balled out for the Lady Bulldogs, as she poured in 23 points on 21 attacks and two blocks, while Alinsug delivered 18 kills.
With the victory, the Lady Bulldogs will once again clash with the DLSU Lady Spikers in the best-of-three finals series for the second year in a row. F
