MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – After conquering defending champion La Salle, the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Golden Tigresses sustained their hot run in the UAAP Season 81 women’s volleyball tournament. 

UST defeated a young but gritty National University (NU) squad in 4 sets, 26-24, 25-17, 23-25, 25-17, to grab a share of 3rd place on Saturday, March 9, at the Filoil Flying V Arena. 

Rookie sensation Eya Laure put up another 20-point performance to lead the Tigresses while Sisi Rondina chipped in 16 points and 10 excellent receptions.

Dimdim Pacres had a great end-to-end game with a double-double of 12 points and 15 excellent digs.

UST head coach Emilio “Kung Fu” Reyes thinks their first back-to-back wins mean that the Tigresses have started picking up momentum.

“Importante ’yung morale ng bata. Naka-recover na kami doon sa past few games namin na doon kami nadisgrasya, so again, good indication na nagiging pasok na kami sa sistema na gusto namin mangyari,” said Reyes.

(The morale of the team is important. We were able to recover from our past few lackluster games, so it’s a good indication that they’re fitting into the system that we want.)

UST got off to a strong 8-2 start, but the Lady Bulldogs managed to rally back to tie the game at 11-all.

NU finally broke the deadlock with a 4-1 run to race to set point, and just when the Lady Bulldogs looked poised to grab the set, UST rallied and extended the set that saw Sisi Rondina and Kecelyn Galdones win the opening frame. 

The Tigresses took control of the 2nd set as NU struggled to get a hold of the lead after they tied the score at 10-all.

NU led as much as 7 points, 19-12, but the Tigresses sparked a rally and got ahead thanks to Galdones’ block, 22-21.

But the gutsy Lady Bulldogs took the lead again and stole the set from UST as Princess Robles closed it out with 3 set points. 

The Tigresses, though, quickly regained control by the 4th set. After the game knotted at 6-all, UST pounced on NU and pulled away with a double-digit lead to seal the win.

Ivy Lacsina and Princess Robles tallied 14 markers each to lead the Lady Bulldogs, who fell to 1-4. 

NU’s Jennifer Nierva impressed with 26 excellent digs and 31 excellent receptions. – Rappler.com