Adamson University showed grit in the deciding set to outlast University of Santo Tomas, 15-25, 25-19, 16-25, 25-19, 15-11, for its second straight girls’ win in the UAAP Season 85 high school volleyball tournament Tuesday at the Paco Arena.
The Baby Falcons overcame the Junior Tigresses’ tremendous height advantage with their patented floor defense and smart plays to prevail in the two-hour, 10-minute contest.
Defending champion Nazareth School of National University later survived a tough Far Eastern University-Diliman stand in the fourth set to pull off a 25-12, 25-16, 23-25, 31-29 victory and join Adamson University for the early lead at 2-0.
De La Salle-Zobel bucked a third set loss and withstood a UP Integrated School to carve out a 25-20, 25-21, 23-25, 25-20 victory.
It was a sorry loss for UST, which raced to 3-0 and 8-2 leads in the fifth set only to crumble down the stretch.
A net touch violation put the Baby Falcons ahead for the first time at 10-9. Princess Aljibe, Yesha Rojo, and skipper Shaina Nitura then delivered the key kills for Adamson University to complete the come-from-behind win.
Celine Marsh hammered out the match-winning kill that closed out the one-hour, 56-minute clash for the Bullpups.
A Marsh attack, Abigail Pono service ace, and a Kianne Olango spike gave NSNU a 23-20 advantage.
But the Bullpups committed three consecutive errors allowing the Baby Tamaraws to tie at 23-23.
FEU had several chances to send the match to a fifth set but NSNU always had answers.
The Junior Tigresses fell to 1-1 in a tie with the Junior Lady Spikers.
The Junior Fighting Maroons and the Baby Tamaraws, meanwhile, dropped to 0-2.
Mary Angela Jackson’s back-to-back service aces brought UPIS within 19-20 in the fourth set. Then De La Salle-Zobel scored the match’s five of the last six points to wrap up the one-hour, 53-minute contest.
