UP extends UE woes as Lady Warriors fall five straight

MANILA, Philippines-Things for the University of the East continue to go south.

Making quick magic, the University of the Philippines Lady Maroons trampled the Lady Warriors 3-0, 25-14, 25-19, 25-16, during their UAAP Season 77 Women’s Volleyball match at the Arena in San Juan Wednesday afternoon.

UE, which fell to its fifth straight loss, has lost all 15 sets that it has played.

A costly blunder from the red side proved lethal as it directed UP to match point, 24-16.

Monica Ortiz, who only played in the third set as a substitute, scored the final strike which bounced off the Lady Warriors’ defense.

With only their second win of the season, UP head coach Gerry Yee said his team still has to improve on its stability and create its own tempo instead of following the opponent’s waltz.

“Unfortunately that’s the character of our team,” Yee said as his Lady Maroons go to a 2-3 win-loss slate and claim solo position of sixth place, bumping the 1-3 University of Santo Tomas to seventh. “We are not stable, we are not tough, we are not focused, we are not moving to our own tempo.”

“We are following the tempo that our opponents set up.”

A minor scare in the second set proved to be a little jolt for UP as starter Vina Alinas sprained her ankle.

Fortunately, it was only a mild pain as she was still able to come back to the game.

Yee added that they would still work during the the Christmas vacation as his agreement with his team that only the 24th, the 25th, the 30th and the 31st of December as the only days they would take a break.

He said that they have to work with the contrasting style of two of his main attackers, Angeli Araneta and Kathy Bersola.

“We still have to work on so much during the break, especially the stability on defense,” Yee said. “Angeli has a very cerebral approach to the game whereas Kathy plays with her strength.”

Bersola, Araneta and Nicole Tiamzon led UP’s three-pronged attack with the trio combining for 33 points.

Rookie Ariane Ilustre also proved vital for UP with eight points.

Shaya Aadorador tried to lift the Lady Warriors with her 10 points but it was still a futile attempt as they are in the cellar with a 0-5 card.