UNIVERSITY of the Philippines rebounded from a third-set loss to foil Unicorns, 25-20, 25-15, 19-25, 25-21, and capture the women's championship of the Ateneo Open 3 Tournament at the Blue Eagle gym late Sunday night.
The Lady Maroons, now handled by multi-titled coach Jerry Yee, banked on vastly-improved Kathy Bersola's game-long brilliance to upend Unicorns, which settled for runner-up honor for the second straight year.
Bersola emerged Finals MVP, while Jem Ferrer of Hope-Laiya was named tournament MVP of the three-day event presented by Mizuno.
UP beat deposed champion Hope Alumni in three sets during the semifinals to forge a title duel with Unicorns, which turned back ASC in the other semis pairing.
The Lady Maroons, whose only loss the entire tournament came from ASC during the eliminations, won their first title under Yee, who took over the team just two months ago.
In the men's division, Edwin Tolentino sparkled as Makati Idols rallied from two sets down to nip Team Agot A, 24-26, 24-26, 25-23, 25-16, 15-13, and secure the crown.
Tolentino ran away with the Finals MVP award while Ran Abadilla also of Makati Idols was named tournament MVP.
The champions in the women's and men's division took home P15,000, while the second and third placers bagged P9,000 and P6,000, respectively.
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