HOME court held firm for the Golden Tigresses.
University of Santo Tomas notched its first-ever home win at the Quadricentennial Pavilion, dismantling University of the East, 25-11, 25-14, 25-14, in UAAP Season 88 women’s volleyball on Saturday.
The Lady Warriors struggled to generate offense throughout, relying mostly on the home team's miscues to put points on the board.
And yet, UST proved far too dominant, overwhelming UE from start to finish to turn an 0-2 opening into a leveled 2-2 record.
“Happy and proud kasi slowly, nakaka-adapt kami sa bawat isa kung ano ‘yung gusto namin gawin,” said head coach Shaq delos Santos.
“We know na ang dami pa naming kailangan i-improve, ma-execute nang maayos sa mga place namin, but ang good thing, meron kaming magandang result ngayon, so kailangan pa naming magtrabaho.”
Go USTe at home
The black and gold set the tone right away with a blistering 8-0 opening run, with converted rookie winger Avril Bron catching fire early to stretch the first set lead to as much as 13 points.
UE struggled to mount any resistance, producing just three attack points in the opener and relying on eight errors by the Golden Tigresses just to reach double-digits.
The Lady Warriors showed more fight in the second set, trimming a 10-2 deficit to a manageable 11-9, but UST quickly restored order, unleashing a decisive 14-5 blitz to move within a set of victory.
Matters only worsened for the red-and-white in the third, as the homecourt-energized Thomasians stormed to a 9-0 start and never looked back, completing a swift straight-sets triumph.
Angge Poyos paced the Golden Tigresses with 11 points and three digs, while Jonna Perdido delivered her best outing yet in her return after missing last year due to a knee injury, tallying 10 points on five attacks, three aces, and two blocks along with six digs and four receptions.
Bron and veteran winger Reg Jurado added eight points each, while former UAAP best setter Cassie Carballo orchestrated the offense with 13 excellent sets and chipped in five markers.
Khy Cepada carried most of the scoring load for UE with nine points and four digs, while Van Bangayan was limited to three markers.
Rookies Eljane Nogueras, Ash Canete, and Sam Taylan contributed two points apiece in their fourth straight loss of the season and 18th in a row since last year.
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