IN their first showdown as college rivals, Sam Cantada emerged victorious over Shaina Nitura.
Behind Cantada’s steady play, National U turned back Adamson, 25-23, 25-19, 28-26, in UAAP Season 88 women’s volleyball action on Wednesday at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
The UAAP’s first-ever volleyball staging at the España campus featured a highly anticipated duel between former high school champion MVPs, who faced off three years after gifting San Marcelino with its breakthrough juniors title.
“Nag-focus lang po ako sa game dahil tapos naman na po lahat ng ‘yun. Ok na rin po sila du’n at ok na rin po ako dito,” said Cantada after dropping 16 points, nine receptions, and five digs on her former alma mater.
The contest turned into a tug-of-war across all three sets, with the defending champions repeatedly capitalizing on crucial late-set breaks to gain the upper hand.
The Lady Bulldogs erased two Lady Falcon set points in the third frame before converting their second match point through a service ace by Alexa Mata.
NU poise and purpose
Adamson, however, was undone by its own miscues, conceding more than a set’s worth of points after committing 28 unforced errors in total.
Arah Panique also had 16 points for NU, while Mata, Chams Maaya, and skipper Vange Alinsug chipped in six markers each.
Taking on the role as the blue-and-gold's primary playmaker over Lams Lamina, Abe Pono orchestrated the offense with 14 excellent sets and added three points.
The victory kept their title defense unblemished at 2-0, while the Lady Falcons absorbed their first loss of the season to slip to 1-1.
It was an off night for Nitura, who was heavily targeted by the Lady Bulldogs' service game, including Mata’s match-clinching ace. Despite the pressure, she still delivered 18 points, seven receptions, and six digs.
Frances Mordi provided ample support for Adamson with 17 points, but her efforts were not enough to keep Adamson in step with the reigning titlists.
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