University of Santo Tomas made quick work of the already-eliminated University of the East, 25-19, 25-16, 25-15, to move within striking distance of a fifth consecutive UAAP Women’s Volleyball Final Four appearance, Saturday afternoon at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Riding on the steady production of Season 86 Rookie of the Year Angge Poyos and a spark off the bench from Kyla Cordora, the Golden Tigresses picked up their third straight win to improve to an 8-4 record.
Not only did UST inch closer to securing a Final Four spot, but the victory also eliminated the Adamson Lady Falcons — who are set to face the FEU Lady Tamaraws later today — from postseason contention.
The Tigresses can officially punch their ticket to the semifinals if the University of the Philippines loses to De La Salle University tomorrow at the same Cubao venue.
However, if the Fighting Maroons pull off an upset over the Lady Spikers, UST will need to beat UP in their second-round match-up on Wednesday, April 23, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena to clinch a playoff berth.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Facing a Lady Warriors squad desperate to salvage a win this season, the Golden Tigresses went full throttle, with head coach Kungfu Reyes even finding opportunities to field other players.
“First, siyempre yung respeto sa team ng UE nandoon naman kaya pinaghandaan talaga namin. Ang maganda rito, nabigyan namin ng exposure yung ibang players namin at nakapag-deliver naman. Hopefully, magamit nila itong game na ito para sa next games namin,” said Reyes.
The Lady Warriors managed to show some fight in the third set, trimming the deficit to 10-7. But UST quickly snuffed out the momentum with a 6-1 run capped by a service ace from Marga Altea and back-to-back kills from Poyos, stretching the lead to 16-8.
That run gave the Golden Tigresses enough separation, and they never looked back. Consecutive through-the-block hits from Regina Jurado and rookie Ash Knop, an Altea crosscourt shot, and an attack error from Van Bangayan sealed UST’s 10th straight win over UE since Season 81 in 2019.
Earlier in the match, UST caught fire with an 18-8 start in the second set. Knop — a freshman from Angeles University Foundation Integrated School — delivered the last three of UST’s five closing points to lock in a 2-0 set lead.
“Nagpapasalamat ako sa binigay na tiwala ng teammates at ng coaches ko. Yung need ko rin pagkatiwalaan ko yung sarili ko na kaya ko maglaro at patunayan sarili ko lalo,” said Cordora, who stepped up with eight points on 8-of-13 attacking, along with seven excellent digs and six excellent receptions.
Poyos led the Tigresses with 12 points in their eighth win of the season. Jurado followed with 10 points on nine attacks, also tallying 10 excellent digs.
Altea added seven markers on three attacks, two blocks, and two aces, while Banagua contributed seven points from four attacks and three blocks. Knop chipped in five points.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Meanwhile, the Lady Warriors continued their struggles, dropping their 13th straight match and remaining winless this season. They are now on the verge of going 0-14 in a UAAP women’s volleyball tournament for the first time since Season 77 in 2015.
UST’s defense clamped down on UE’s top scorer, limiting Bangayan to just six points on a rough 5-of-30 attack clip. Riza Nogales was the next best contributor for UE with five points, including three attacks and two blocks.
Similar to their men’s team, the Lady Warriors will look to avoid a winless campaign when they take on fellow also-ran Ateneo de Manila University on Saturday, April 26, again at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
#WATCH: Detdet Pepito wants the Tigresses to dig deeper and fight harder as UST claws its way to the final stretch of the eliminations 🏐
📹 @lorenzodelc /Tiebreaker Times#UAAPSeason87 pic.twitter.com/VbZuSjkBQ6
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) April 12, 2025
