MANILA — University of Santo Tomas (UST) surged closer to the UAAP Season 88 women’s volleyball Finals after crushing Adamson University in straight sets, 25-16, 25-18, 25-19, in the stepladder Final Four on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Golden Tigresses delivered a statement win, avenging their elimination-round losses to the Lady Falcons and extending their season with a second straight do-or-die triumph to remain firmly in the title hunt.
“Credit sa players namin. Grabe ‘yung effort na ginawa. Actually, hindi naman todo-todo ‘yung training pero mas inaral lang kung ano ‘yung tamang galaw, mas nagkaroon ng communication, saka ‘yung effort na mag-all-out sa game,” said UST head coach Ceseal Delos Santos.
With the victory, UST advances to the next phase of the stepladder semifinals and will face second-seeded National University on Saturday at 3 p.m. for a coveted berth in the championship round.
The Tigresses’ latest win came on the heels of a playoff victory over Far Eastern University, marking back-to-back elimination games that UST survived to keep its Finals hopes alive.
Team captain and libero Bernadett “Detdet” Pepito anchored UST’s defense with 16 excellent digs and nine excellent receptions, while also contributing four excellent sets.
“Although hindi namin in-expect na ganito kabilis ‘yung laro, sobrang happy lang talaga dahil tiniyaga talaga ng lahat, especially coaches and teammates ko. Sobrang saya lang, hindi ko pa rin alam kung totoo ba ito dahil kagabi, nakatulog na ko kakadasal kay Lord paulit-ulit na sana ibigay ito sa amin,” Pepito said.
UST asserted control midway through the second set, erasing a slim deficit with a scoring burst sparked by Angeline Poyos and Regina Jurado. The Tigresses carried that momentum into the third set, where another decisive run allowed them to pull away and wrap up the match in just 82 minutes.
Poyos led all scorers with 17 points, while Jurado added 13 points along with solid defensive contributions. Jonna Perdido chipped in 10 points, while Avril Bron finished with seven markers, including crucial hits late in the match.
Adamson struggled to find its rhythm throughout the contest, with leading scorer Shaina Nitura limited to 13 points on inefficient attacking. Frances Mordi contributed 11 markers, while no other Lady Falcon scored more than four./PN
