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MANILA, Philippines – For the first time since UAAP Season 81 four years ago, the women’s volleyball tournament returns to the Araneta Coliseum with a loaded quadruple-header schedule on Wednesday, March 8.
Winning momentum has started to shift towards teams pegged as contenders straight out of preseason tournaments, but there is still a lot of games left to be played for dark horses to start trotting ahead.
La Salle (3-0) vs UE (0-3)
UAAP | FINAL:
— Rappler Sports (@RapplerSports) March 8, 2023
The La Salle Lady Spikers (4-0) stay undefeated in a sweep of the UE Lady Warriors (0-4), 25-20, 25-21, 25-14!#UAAPSeason85 pic.twitter.com/ilEK5QqA7E
Respectively holding both edges of the league’s standings, the unbeaten La Salle Lady Spikers and winless UE Lady Warriors kick off the day-long slate at 10 am.
Coming in hot on the heels of super rookie Angel Canino and all-around supporting star Jolina dela Cruz, the Lady Spikers are the obvious favorites to come out on top of the day’s opening game.
However, as they have proven in their four-set loss to Ateneo, the Ja Lana-led Lady Warriors are more than capable of pulling off surprises and ruffling the right feathers. A repeat performance – even if it again does not result in a win – will continually give UE’s next opponents the respect it deserves.
Ateneo (1-2) vs FEU (1-2)
UAAP | WATCH:
— Rappler Sports (@RapplerSports) March 8, 2023
FEU head coach Tina Salak and rookies Marga Encarnacion and Mitzi Panangin share their thoughts after surviving Ateneo in a five-set see-saw thriller.#UAAPSeason85 pic.twitter.com/SH9vdSRUN1
UAAP | STATS:
— Rappler Sports (@RapplerSports) March 8, 2023
18-year old Marga Encarnacion, Jov Fernandez, and Alyzza Devosora lead FEU’s gutsy five-set win over Ateneo!#UAAPSeason85 pic.twitter.com/e7vHnKf4rh
UAAP | FINAL:
— Rappler Sports (@RapplerSports) March 8, 2023
The FEU Lady Tamaraws (2-2) hack out a frenzied five-set win over the Ateneo Blue Eagles (1-3), 25-12, 15-25, 19-25, 25-15, 18-16!#UAAPSeason85 pic.twitter.com/5Juoe2VAMP
UAAP | SET 4:
— Rappler Sports (@RapplerSports) March 8, 2023
Ateneo fizzles out again after two hot sets as FEU forces a fifth set, 25-15!#UAAPSeason85
UAAP | END OF SET 3:
— Rappler Sports (@RapplerSports) March 8, 2023
Ateneo stays hot with a 25-19 win over FEU for the 2-1 lead!#UAAPSeason85
Both currently in the middle of the pack to begin the season, the Ateneo Blue Eagles and FEU Lady Tamaraws clash at 12 pm to determine where the trajectories of both teams’ campaigns are about to go.
Feeding off the encouragement and leadership of co-captains Faith Nisperos and Vanie Gandler, the young Eagles need all the confidence they can get with much-needed wins moving forward.
The same goes for the likewise inexperienced Lady Tamaraws, who must soon prove to head coach Tina Salak that the sage playing wisdom she is imparting is not going to waste. Setter protege Tin Ubaldo and spiker Alyzza Devosora, among other prospects, are now tasked to lead that charge.
UST (2-1) vs Adamson (2-1)
UAAP | STATS:
— Rappler Sports (@RapplerSports) March 8, 2023
Kate Santiago, Louie Romero, and Trisha Tubu spearhead Adamson’s balanced attack in a surprising rout of UST!
Eya Laure leads the loss as no Tigress breaches double-digit scoring.#UAAPSeason85 pic.twitter.com/U7Rt1dggHF
UAAP | FINAL:
— Rappler Sports (@RapplerSports) March 8, 2023
One game after beating mighty NU, the UST Golden Tigresses (2-2) fall hard as the Adamson Lady Falcons (3-1) cruise to a 25-15, 25-17, 25-19 blowout!#UAAPSeason85 pic.twitter.com/jGh4W6Uz7v
The UST Golden Tigresses and Adamson Lady Falcons – both expected to make up the latter half of the Final Four race – gear up for a pivotal first-round litmus test at 2 pm.
Coming off a monumental win streak-snapping win against NU, supporting Tigresses like Cassie Carballo and Regina Jurado are out to prove to fans and themselves that UST is no longer just the Eya Laure show.
Adamson likewise has a lot of weapons who just need to keep firing to build up confidence like rookie revelation Trisha Tubu, and veterans like Lucille Almonte and Lorene Toring. Settling their crosshairs on a feisty UST team is a great way to speed up that process.
NU (2-1) vs UP (1-2)
In the day’s main event at 4 pm, the UP Fighting Maroons have the unenviable task of facing the seething NU Lady Bulldogs fresh off their first loss in four long years.
Fans should expect nothing but do-or-die mentality from reigning MVP Bella Belen and her early successor candidate Alyssa Solomon as NU goes for a fresh winning start in its title defense.
Don’t expect, however, that UP would just lie down like a maroon doormat. Feisty stalwarts like Niña Ytang, Abi Goc, and Alyssa Bertolano are looking to make sure their team – battling internal issues and all – makes the most out of a rare vulnerable stretch from the defending champions. – Rappler.com
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