PVL: UST earns semis spot with fifth straight win

University of Santo Tomas booked its ticket to the semifinals after its a sweep of College of St. Benilde, 26-24, 29-27, 25-17, in the Premier Volleyball League Collegiate Conference Saturday at Filoil Flying V Centre.

The Golden Tigresses topped the standings with a 5-0 record, despite having star Eya Laure play limited minutes, while the Lady Blazers are in fifth with a 1-3 card.

Laure, who’s nursing a sore right shoulder, still finished with 11 points after sitting out most of the third quarter with Milena Alessandrini and rookie Ysabel Jimenez carrying the scoring load with 13 points apiece.

UST assistant coach Ian Fernandez, however, warned his team to never be complacent despite getting its outright semifinals berth and a perfect record.

“We should be the one creating our own points and not rely on our opponents’ errors,” said Fernandez, who’s in place of Kung Fu Reyes who’s in Japan with the national team, in Filipino. “We should not be complacent in any way.”

From a small 11-8 lead midway through the third set, the Golden Tigresses upped their intensity and built a 23-15 margin after Camille Victoria’s off-the-block kill.

Marites Pablo, who finished with 14 points, managed to salvage two of Benilde’s last two points but Alessandrini had enough and finished off the match with a crosscourt kill.

Klarisa Abriam and Arianne Daguil had 11 points apiece for the Lady Blazers.