UAAP: Tigresses bounce back, beat Lady Maroons in straight sets

The UST Golden Tigresses dominated the UP Lady Maroons in three sets, 25-23, 25-20 and 25-15 Sunday at the Fil Oil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

“Hanggang may opportunity. Hanggang may chance,” were the words of UST’s head coach, Odjie Mamon after the three set sweep over the Lady Maroons. He further continued, “Mathematically possible pa na makapasok sa Final Four.

“Don’t give up,” he stressed as the Tigresses are at 4-6 in the standings, creeping in closer to contest the fourth seed against Adamson (4-5) and FEU (5-4).

UST dominated the match with a total score of 75-58 due to their well-balanced attack. Pamela Lastimosa once again led all scorers with 18 points. Jem Gutierrez tallied 11, while Marivic Menses and Carmela Tunay scored 9 each. 

The Lady Maroons were off to a 4-1 lead in the opening set care of the Tigresses’ unforced errors and Angeli Araneta’s cross-court kill. But UST's rising star, Jem Gutierrez. abruptly stopped the growing momentum of the Lady Maroons with a series of block-piercing spikes. With the veteran presence of Loren Lantin back in the starting line-up after nursing an ankle injury, the Tigresses benefited from a well-distributed offense that propelled them on top by the first technical timeout at 8-7.

Jessey De Leon had a number of well-lined serves for UST that forced UP to scramble defensively. Additionally, Carmela Tunay and Pamela Lastimosa abused UP’s poor floor defense with deceptive tips and cross-court killers that bubbled the Tigresses’ advantage, 20-13. The Lady Maroons fought resiliently to bounce back within two, 22-20, with their version of a balanced scoring attack. The Araneta-led squad inched closer at 23-22 before collapsing on a miscommunication error. The error-heavy set ended with UST’s Carmela Tunay sealing the deal with a spike down the middle of the court, 25-23.

The Fighting Maroons once again started the second set smoothly, sparked by Katherine Bersola’s aggressiveness to challenge the UST blockers. The Lady Maroons carried the 4-2 lead before UST opened opportunities for Lastimosa to score in bunches for the 8-6 advantage. UP kept within striking distance by tallying deadlocks at four different occasions – with the last at 13-all.

With Marivic Meneses and Lastimosa leading the Tigresses, UST peaked with a 7-1 scoring run that cushioned their lead, 20-14. The Lady Maroons retaliated with Monica Ortiz’s markers that pulled the score closer at 20-17, but it was a case of too little, too late for UP as they succumbed to Carmela Tunay’s relentless attacks, 25-20.

With the momentum rolling for the Tigresses, UST dominated the start of the third set with a score of 8-2. Sheeka Espinosa, however, maintained UP’s fighting spirit with constant markers for her squad that trimmed the lead to 14-6. But the multitude of unforced errors for State U eventually derailed their opportunities to keep up with the Tigresses. Lastimosa’s patented cross-court attack blossomed UST’s lead to a double digit cushion at 20-10.  Lastimosa later on finished the match, 25-15, with the same weapon of choice: her trusty cross-court killer. - BR, GMA News