The University of the Philippines Lady Maroons shook off a slow start to win over the College of Saint Benilde Lady Blazers in straight sets, 25-20 25-12 25-17, and take their second consecutive win in the ongoing 2016 Shakey’s V-League Collegiate Conference, Monday evening, at the PhilSports Multipurpose Arena.
Diana Carlos led the Lady Maroons, registering 12 points despite an error-filled start. Nicole Tiamzon and Isa Molde had nine markers each.
“The game was boring. Both sides puro errors,” UP head coach Jerry Yee remarked.
It was the Lady Blazers who took the initiative early in the first set, with Jeanette Panaga connecting on two straight points. UP then turned up their defense in the middle part of the set, before pulling away late to get the frame. Carlos ended the set with four points, capped with an emphatic quick attack.
The second set was different, as the Diliman spikers raced to an early lead. Errors compounded the woes for CSB, making it easier for UP to close out the set. The Lady Maroons also hastened the pace, while their opponents were slow to react on the defensive end.
Tiamzon, despite not scoring from the service line, delivered well in the area. Service reception doomed the Taft Blazers in the second frame, as Marian Buite denied Jannine Navarro to give the Maroons the 2-0 lead.
UP slowly built sizable leads in the third set, which made it harder for the Blazers to make a comeback in the match. Skipper Panaga kept the Blazers within reach; nevertheless, two powerful kills from Buitre and Molde closed out the victory for the Maroons.
“We started slow and ended slow. Yung reception natin, yung mga joust natin [may errors],” Yee added.
However, Yee would not make use of the recent registration period for the Lady Maroon’s underwhelming performance. Instead, he said, “hindi sa dina-down ko yung team. We want to see something better.”
UP outscored CSB 40-21 on attacks and 7-1 on blocks. Setter Mae Basarte also orchestrated the Maroons’ offense well, with 41 excellent sets. Molde likewise added 11 successful receptions on top of her nine points.
On the other hand, Panaga and Daguil led the charge for CSB with 5 points each.
Coach Yee would like to see that “better” game from the Lady Maroons (2-0) against the University of Santo Tomas (2-0) on Saturday, August 13, at 6pm in the same venue. Meanwhile, CSB (0-3) close out their eliminations round campaign versus San Beda (0-2) earlier in the day.
The Scores:
UP (3) – Carlos 12, Molde 9, Tiamzon 9, Dorog 8, Buitre 7, Bersola 3, Basarte 2, Ramos 1, Sandoval 0, Gaiser (L), Estrañero (L)
CSB (0) – Panaga 5, Daguil 5, Enginco 4, Dolorito 4, Musa 3, Cardiente 2, Navarro 2, Cheng 1, Ventura 0, Austero 0, Lim (L), Torres (L)
