UST falls flat after huge NU win as Adamson cruises to stunning blowout

MANILA, Philippines – The Adamson Lady Falcons sent UST plummeting back to earth in a stunning 25-15, 25-17, 25-19 blowout at the Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday, March 8 – one game after the Golden Tigresses snapped NU’s four-year, 20-game winning streak in UAAP volleyball last Saturday, March 4.

Louie Romero steered the offense with 16 excellent sets as four Adamson players breached double-digit scoring in its rise to a 3-1 record for joint second place with NU. Trisha Tubu and Kate Santiago led the way with 13 points apiece, while Rizza Cruz and Lucille Almonte scored 12 and 10, respectively.

Still dazed after dropping the first two sets in a pair of routs, UST somehow stumbled its way to a 17-14 lead off a 9-3 run hiked by a balanced mix of attacks and Adamson errors.

The Tigresses managed to keep their heads above water until Imee Hernandez’s block on Lorene Toring for the 18-17 lead, but Adamson came storming right back with a huge 8-1 game-winning swing, highlighted by back-to-back Cruz blocks on Renee Penafiel, and sealed with a Tubu kill for the win.

“Again, we’re happy. We just kept working. Whether it’s UST, NU, or UE, we’ll just keep playing and execute what we need to do,” said Adamson head coach Jerry Yee in Filipino.

“We studied what we needed to do when they hit and where we will position ourselves,” Santiago added in Filipino. “We were able to apply that well and we got the win.”

No UST player breached double figures as the usually prolific Eya Laure was stifled to just 9 points on a quiet 7-of-16 attack clip, while Penafiel scored 7 on a 7-of-23 clip.

Adamson looks to keep its impressive run going on Sunday, March 12, 2 pm, against the reeling Ateneo Blue Eagles at the PhilSports Arena, while UST shoot for a needed bounce-back at the same venue on Saturday, March 11, 2pm, against the UP Fighting Maroons. – Rappler.com