Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
In the past four seasons, La Salle’s mighty volleyball program had never been handed back-to-back defeats in UAAP women’s volleyball competitions.
Then the Tigresses of Santo Tomas, their tresses in a bun to honor an injured teammate, showed up with uncanny fierceness to throw Season 81’s balance of power in disarray.
The Tigresses, hardly missing the firepower provided by an absent Milena Alessandrini, destroyed the reigning three-time champions Lady Spikers, 25-20, 25-22, 25-17, Wednesday night at FilOil Flying V Center.
Rookie Eya Laure stepped up in Alessandrini’s absence, heeding the call from star spiker Sisi Rondina for everyone to rally hard after a painful loss to Far Eastern U recently. Laure pumped in 15 points to spark the Tigresses.
Alessandrini is expected to miss at least two more games due to a knee injury incurred in that loss to the Lady Tamaraws last weekend.
UST thus hauled La Salle into a three-way tie with FEU—behind idle leaders University of the Philippines and Ateneo (3-1).
The Lady Tamaraws tabbed their third win after rookie Lycah Ebon scored 21 points and FEU endured University of the East’s gritty comebacks for a 25-15, 24-26, 25-22, 20-25, 15-9 triumph.
Ebon, one of the most promising rookies this season, scored the winning point for the Lady Tamaraws who sent the Lady Warriors to their second defeat in a 1-4 card.
La Salle came into the match nursing a five-set defeat from UP. And traditionally, the Lady Spikers raise their swag coming out of defeats. Instead, it was UST that came out with a display of dominance, scoring its first straight-sets victory over La Salle in three years.
Dimdim Pacres also stepped up for the Tigresses, who seemed never to run out of heroes during the match.
“I’m glad that we have each other’s back out there on the court,” said UST coach Kungfu Reyes in Filipino. “We were sensitive not to commit simple errors and we communicated well inside the court.”
Meanwhile, after a lethargic start, the Lady Warriors came back to life, burying the Lady Tamaraws in attacks in the second set, 16-8, that seemed to turn things around for them.
But FEU relied on Ebon, who scored three of her points in the Lady Tamaraws’ five-point windup in the third set to take a two sets to one lead.
But just as the Tamaraws were trying to wrap things up, ahead by 19-16 in the fourth, the Lady Warriors launched their own blitz to steal the frame and force a five-setter.