Inquirer 7 top UAAP 80 women’s volleyball players: Week 5

Every week, INQUIRER Sports will be ranking the seven best performers in the UAAP Season 80 women’s volleyball tournament. The author will base the rankings on the players’ team standings, statistics, and the intangibles that don’t appear on the stat sheets.

A pulsating first round is finally in the books of the UAAP Season 80 women’s volleyball tournament.

National University emerged as the top dog after the first half of the season, while Far Eastern University and De La Salle also reached elite status by sharing the second spot.

Ateneo is in the middle of the pack with Adamson University while University of Santo Tomas is slipping.

Also struggling is University of the Philippines while University of the East managed to escape a zero-win embarrassment.

So with that thrown out of the way, here are the seven best players who showcased their wares in the final week of Round 1.

Oh, and there are four new names on this list.

1. Kianna Dy (De La Salle University, opposite hitter)

Last week: N/A

Weeks on list: 2

In the biggest game of the eliminations, so far, Kianna Dy glowed with a queenly presence that no single soul inside Mall of Asia Arena matched.

Dy scored in every possible way for the Lady Spikers as they beat the Lady Eagles in four sets, 25-20, 25-17, 24-26, 25-20, in the first meeting between the two rivals.

The Season 78 Finals MVP finished with a season-high 21 points on 11 spikes, seven blocks, and three service aces.

Dy was downright magnificent during La Salle’s blurring 10-0 run in the third set that saw the Lady Spikers tie the set at 21 after being down, 21-11.

In those 10 unanswered points, Dy scored four points and three of those were blocks with Kat Tolentino the unfortunate victim on two occasions.

Dy then came up in the clutch with another block on Tolentino that put La Salle in the 24-19 match point.

2. Bernadeth Pons (Far Eastern University, outside hitter)

Last week: No. 4

Weeks on list: 3

Add “Giant Killer” to Bernadeth Pons’ possible nicknames. 

The league’s stat sheet stuffer was instrumental in the Lady Tamaraws’ four-set conquest of the previously unbeaten Lady Bulldogs in the first game day of Week 5.

FEU humbled NU, 25-22, 25-27, 25-13, 25-20, in a game where Pons finished with 18 points and 11 excellent receptions.

Pons followed that performance up with a humble seven points, nine excellent digs, and 10 excellent receptions against all-time rival UST.

And aiding Pons’ case as the No. 2 player this week is FEU’s four-game winning streak.

3. Tin Tiamzon (De La Salle University, outside hitter)

Last week: N/A

Weeks on list: 1

It’s midway through the season but there are still debutantes to this list, and La Salle’s Tin Tiamzon is the first of four.

The Lady Spikers’ unheralded outside hitter made her presence felt against rival Ateneo in the first finals rematch for Season 80.

Tiamzon scored 13 points in the Lady Spikers’ victory and was the most efficient attacker on La Salle’s side converting 12 of her 28 spike attempts.

4. Jaja Santiago (National University, middle blocker)

Last week: No. 3

Weeks on list: 5

There has been only one constant on this list and that is Jaja Santiago.

NU’s towering middle blocker led with composure as she paved the way in the Lady Bulldogs’ bounce back win of the tournament against the Lady Maroons.

Santiago finished with 17 points in the Lady Bulldogs’ 25-23, 25-23, 25-17 victory over UP after scoring just 13 points in their loss to FEU

NU’s superstar has yet to be excluded from this list and even her team’s lone setback of the season against the Lady Tamaraws wasn’t enough to boot her of this weekly ranking.

5. Kath Arado (University of the East, libero)

Last week: N/A

Weeks on list: 1

She’s the second debutante of this week and she’s the reigning Best Digger of the league.

Kath Arado has been languishing under the massive shadow that Dawn Macandili cast over the liberos in the UAAP but the Season 77 co-Rookie of the Year finally got away from the darkness.

UE prevented a winless campaign this season when it scored an upset over Adamson University in five set, 25-22, 22-25, 14-25, 25-20, 15-13, and Arado showed that she can be as capable as Macandili in the UAAP level.

Arado was a defensive terror for the Lady Warriors when she tallied 24 excellent digs and 32 excellent receptions.

6. Diana Carlos (University of the Philippines, outside hitter)

Last week: N/A

Weeks on list: 1

She’s one half of UP’s high-scoring duo and she’s the third of this week’s four newcomers.

Diana Carlos and the Lady Maroons may have lost their final game of the first round against NU, but UP was a master stunner when it faced UST.

UST was looking to shakeup the ladder when it faced UP on Wednesday but the Lady Maroons had other plans and pulled the proverbial rabbit from the legendary magician’s hat.

The Lady Maroons came back from a 19-11 deficit in the first set and although losing the period 33-31 was a misfortune, Carlos and spike partner Isa Molde lit up in the next three sets.

UP crushed UST in the next three periods and came away with a 31-33, 25-23, 25-16, 25-12 victory as Carlos put up 32 points while Molde had 24.

7. Shaya Adorador (University of the East, opposite hitter)

Last week: N/A

Weeks on list: 1

She’s the final debutante of this week and she was the embodiment of clutch when UE shocked Adamson.

Shaya Adorador may have scored just 11 points in UE’s five-set win over the Lady Falcons, 25-22, 22-25, 15-25, 25-20, 15-13, but she was truest to the definition of being clutch.

Adorador scored four of the Lady Warriors’ six points and she did it with grace rarely seen on a high-paced match.

She used an off-speed shot to glance the ball on the defense of Adamson for UE’s 13-9 lead then she blocked Mylene Paat for the Lady Warriors’ 14-11 match point.

And as a final touch, Adorador made a gorgeous off-speed kill that landed smack in the middle of the Lady Falcons’ defense.