UNIVERSITY of the Philippines finally found relief, snapping a four-game skid in emphatic fashion.
The Fighting Maroons vented their pent-up frustrations on University of the East, 25-21, 25-15, 25-14, in UAAP Season 88 women’s volleyball on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Kianne Olango delivered the finishing touch in a match that was one-way traffic from start to finish, handing the Lady Warriors their 23rd straight defeat.
She led all scorers with 18 points built on 14 attacks, three blocks, and an ace, along with seven receptions.
Jelai Gajero continued to step up in the absence of Casiey Dongallo, who suffered a similar season-ending knee injury years apart, finishing with 11 points and 12 digs.
Nina Ytang also imposed her presence in the middle with 14 points on 10 attacks and four blocks.
“We need to be a quick team because when we slow down, as we’ve seen in the first set, we don’t have our identity and we struggled a little bit,” said UP head coach Fabio Menta.
Bringing the fight to UP
UE showed resistance early in the first set before losing grip at 14-19, allowing UP to pull away.
A Khy Cepada-led burst then gave the Lady Red Warriors a strong start in the second frame, but State U quickly flipped the switch, unloading a nine-point surge before closing the set on an 8-1 run.
The third set followed a similar pattern, with UE briefly taking control before UP seized momentum and built a lead as big as 12, with Olango sealing the win off an off-the-block hit after UE saved two late match points.
Cepada’s 10-point, 17-reception, 10-dig triple-double and Van Bangayan’s five-point, seven-dig, five-reception effort went for naught as UE dropped to 0-9.
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