NO losses in España.
University of Sto. Tomas completed a sweep of the first round of the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball tournament with a four-set win over Adamson, 25-18, 22-25, 25-15, 28-26, on Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
READ: La Salle Lady Spikers assert mastery of NU in grudge match
Jonna Perdido led the Tigresses’ best-ever start in the Final Four era with 16 points on 14 attacks and two blocks to keep hold of solo first place after the opening round of play.
"Sinabi namin last time na sinimulan namin nang maganda yung first round and grateful na natapos namin nang maganda, with a win, said Angge Poyos, who, again, topscored for UST with 18 attack points.
"And I know na marami pa kaming tatrabahuin and marami pa ring i-aadjust sa mga susunod pa na mga games at talagang bawal kaming mag-relax dahil may second round pa."
It might have just been a four-set contest, but the Tigresses' sky-high numbers on both ends proved too much for a gutsy Lady Falcons side. UST converted a game-high 60 attacks (32 from Poyos and Perdido), 61 digs (21 from Detdet Pepito), 31 receptions (12 from Pepito), and Cassie Carballo's 22 excellent sets.
Despite a late-game rally from Ishie Lalongisip (team-high 14 points) & Co. to force a fifth-set tiebreak, Poyos' back-to-back power hits in the extended fourth frame slammed the door shut on a brewing Adamson comeback late into the night.
The two-hour, 14-minute contest turned to be one of the latest matchday finishes in recent memory due to 'technical issues' with the court flooring which prompted a near two-hour delay to a supposed 10 a.m. start to the regular quadruple-header.
For Pepito, such a 'graveyard shift' isn't new to the Tigresses and even felt too familiar as the 10 p.m. end of their first-round finale would often be the same timeframe in which they'd conduct their evening trainings at UST.
"Nasaktuhan lang din na ganito ‘yung training time namin kaya wala namang problema sa’min. Kaya naming mag-adjust. Sanay na po kami sa mga ganitong oras. Swerte nga po kami, mas maaga pa po ngayon. Kasi sa (Super League) match namin sa Adamson, madaling araw po nung nakaroon so thank you, Lord.
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