UAAP: UST ends NU’s 20-game winning streak in women’s volleyball

MANILA, Philippines-University of Santo Tomas pulled it all together and did the unthinkable with a 25-23, 27-25, 17-25, 22-25, 15-11 upset of defending champion National University on Wednesday night. UAAP Season 85 women’s volleyball tournament.

Eya Laure made a game-clinching block on Alyssa Solomon that ended the whirlwind for the Golden Tigresses, who finally stopped the rampaging Lady Bulldogs on the track of a long triumphant stretch.

“They (Lady Bulldogs) have a good record. It was a perfect run for them (last season). But we believe we can beat them and show in this game that we can,” Laure said after leading UST with 18 points, highlighted by 14 attacks, plus 14 good digs and four blocks.

With the victory, the second in three starts, the Tigresses ended NU’s 20-game winning streak dating back to 2020 before the pandemic.

Newcomer Regina Jurado scored 18 points with two blocks and a pair of aces, Italian Milena Alessandrini returned from a sprain in the fourth set to finish with 14 markers and Cassie Carballo had 24 sets too for UST, which tied the Lady Bulldogs in the standings.

“It’s a heart win. It’s a roller-coaster ride. There are ups and downs, that’s the flow of the game. Fortunately, we overcame the difficulties and won the fifth set,” said UST coach Kungfu Reyes.

She also overcame another strong performance from Solomon, whose 20 rebounds of 22 points helped carry the Lady Bulldogs into the contest with Michaela Belen’s 17 points.

Instead, the Lady Bulldogs jumped to the other side of the fence as the Tigresses grabbed the opening set from their grasp.

Ahead by three early, NU suddenly found itself chasing the pack of Tigresses, who scored six straight points through Eya Laure’s spunk in attacking the net.

Erin Pangilinan tied the count at 20 before Putri Robles and Solomon pushed the Lady Bulldogs closer to the wrap. But Alessandrini stopped Solomon’s attack, Jurado scored with a push and Alessandrini put it to the other side that completed UST’s rally in the first frame.

The Tigresses showed that success in the first is not a flash in the pan, holding the second set as well that shook up the defending champion Lady Bulldogs and legions of fans at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Jurado’s crosscourt spike put UST on the brink of securing the set and the Tigresses got the job done after Robles made a mistake at the net.

While it may come as a surprise to NU, the unrest is nothing new to UST.

The Tigresses put the Lady Bulldogs on the edge after two more sets on April 27, 2019 when they eventually won, 27-25, 25-17, 20-25, 25-16, at the end of the Season 81 playoffs.

Pushed to the wall, the Lady Bulldogs stormed back in the next two sets managing five sets with the trio of Solomon, Belen and Pangilinan taking matters into their own hands.

Solomon’s smash gave NU an eight-point lead and the Tigresses refused to just call it a day with Laure putting it at 23-17.

Solomon closed out the third frame after pushing his skin into an open spot at the back of the UST floor.

Laure and Imee Hernandez pulled the team within a point and NU’s mistake on the next possession kept them going despite Alessandrini on the bench after spraining his right leg on a landing.

But Solomon used his length with a push that landed square near the line plus a block before Belen ended the fourth set with another block.

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