UST clinches first win vs Ateneo in UAAP S88 women’s volleyball

DLSU beats UP to share early lead with NU

Games on Saturday
(UST Quadricentennial Pavilion)
9 a.m. – UST vs UE (Men)
11 a.m. – UST vs UE (Women)
3 p.m. – NU vs UP (Men)
5 p.m. – NU vs UP (Women)

TITLE contender University of Santo Tomas (UST) finally slumped out of a sluggish start, registering first win at the expense of the listless Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), 26-24, 25-18, 25-21, in the UAAP Season 88 women’s volleyball on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Angge Poyos rifled in 21 points on 19 hits, an ace and a block as the UST Golden Tigresses finally broke into the win column after bowing to rivals National University (NU) and De La Salle University (DLSU), giving coach Shaq Delos Santos a present at last in his return season.

Mr. Delos Santos, the engineer of Santo Tomas’ last title in 2019, last coached the España-based spikers in 2011, before returning to the Tigresses’ lair this offseason in lieu of Kungfu Reyes, who is now with San Beda in the NCAA. 

Santo Tomas came close to that bid with consistent final four campaigns in the past four seasons, including a finals appearance in Season 86 but to no avail despite an intact core led by Detdet Pepito and the rising star Ms. Poyos.

Expectations were high for the Golden Tigresses to finally live up to their lofty billing this season only to run through the mighty NU Lady Bulldogs, 25-23, 25-19, 23-25, 26-24, and the DLSU Lady Spikers, 25-14, 25-15, 26-24, in a rough schedule opener.

And Ateneo wasn’t going to be another stumbling block for Santo Tomas with Ms. Poyos setting the tone in the first two sets, ignited by an escape act in the opening salvo.

That proved to be the Golden Tigresses’ last close encounter with the ADMU Blue Eagles, seizing control in the next two to complete the sweep in 99 minutes with help from Marga Altea and Regina Jurado.

Ms. Jurado dished out 12 points and 12 digs while Ms. Altea had eight points on four hits, three blocks and an ace for the Golden Tigress, who’ll be out to string a streak against the winless University of the East (UE) (0-3) this Saturday at home at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.

Dona de Leon (10) and Ana Hermosura (8) led the Blue Eagles in their third loss in as many games as JLo Delos Santos bled for just four after firing 21 in their five-setter defeat to the souped-up University of the Philippines (UP) last weekend.

Ateneo now has a tall order to score its first win, colliding with the unbeaten powerhouse La Salle led by early MVP contender Shevana Laput and former MVP Angel Canino this Sunday at the same venue.

In the men’s division, University of the Philippines (2-1) snapped a 10-game skid against La Salle (0-3) while Santo Tomas (2-1) escaped Ateneo (1-2), for a three-way tie with five-peat champion NU at second place behind the pace-setting Far Eastern University (FEU) (3-0).

DLSU VERSUS UP
Later, De La Salle University made short work of University of the Philippines, 25-12, 25-15, 25-19, even without ace player Ms. Laput, who’s under the weather, for a 3-0 start to join rival and reigning champion NU on top.

Former MVP Ms. Canino fired 12 points to spearhead the Lady Spikers, who have yet to drop a set in a perfect campaign so far after also sweeping FEU and Santo Tomas.

UP slid to 2-1 after beating UE and snapping an eight-year drought against Adamson. — John Bryan Ulanday