MANILA, Philippines-Looking at an inspired opponent, the De La Salle University Lady Spikers quickly subdued the University of Santo Tomas Golden Tigresses, 25-21, 25-9, 25-18, in their second round matchup of the UAAP Season 77 Volleyball Tournament at the Arena in San Juan on Wednesday.
A twin blockade courtesy of Mika Reyes and Ara Galang stopped Marivic Meneses’ attempt and gave the Lady Spikers their 10th win in 11 games and a twice-to-beat advantage in the final four.
La Salle also snapped UST’s four-game win streak in the process.
Lady Spikers head coach Ramil De Jesus did not expect UST to go down so easily as the Golden Tigresses were riding the momentum.
“I did not expect UST to be beaten so quickly,” de Jesus, whose team is now on a four-game win streak, said. “The team played well and they executed the plays well.”
UST came to as close as 16-13 in the third set, but La Salle’s 6-1 spurt capped by Mary Baron’s attack distanced the Lady Spikers for the cruise.
Offense was aplenty for the second-seeded La Salle with Ara Galang punishing UST with 17 points while Cyd Demecillo added 13.
Scoring, however, was scarce for the third-place UST, which has a 5-6 record, as Pam Lastimosa, Meneses and EJ Laure combined for a measly 18 points.