ALMOST there for the Golden Tigresses.
University of Santo Tomas zeroed in on a return trip to the Final Four after making short work of University of the East, 25-19, 25-16, and 25-15, in UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball on Saturday at Araneta Coliseum.
At 8-4, the magic number for Final Four qualification - as it stands - is to hit the nine-win mark.
Only defending champion National U has reached that target for now, as La Salle, Far Eastern University, and now, UST all have eight wins each.
Should the Golden Tigresses get the job done, it will mark their fifth consecutive Final Four appearance and sixth in the last seven seasons.
Altogether, that would be 22 top four finishes for the España side in the Final Four era.
UST sends shockwaves in standings
UST’s victory over UE effectively eliminated Adamson (4-7) from Final Four contention, as the current top four teams already have at least eight wins — a benchmark the Lady Falcons can no longer reach with three matches left.
The only other bottom four team still in the hunt for the semifinals? Host school University of the Philippines at 5-6.
One more loss for the Fighting Maroons, either against La Salle, UST, or Adamson, will eliminate them from the Final Four hunt. If so, the exact same Final Four cast from last season will return for a Season 87 encore.
The twice-to-beat bonuses are also still up for grabs, with the 11-win mark the current standard to guarantee a top two finish.
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