UST sweeps Ateneo to draw first blood in women’s volleyball Finals

The UST Golden Tigresses swept the Ateneo Lady Eagles in Game 1 of their best of three Finals, 25-17, 25-16, 25-20, Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The España-based squad survived Ateneo's attempt to extend the match, 21-20, and made a 4-0 run to end the match in straight sets.

WATCH: The match point that gave UST the win in Game 1 against Ateneo @gmanews pic.twitter.com/74zUEPmXdu

— JK Carandang (@jk_carandang) May 11, 2019

The Tigresses also made a hot start early in both sets 1 and 2, leading as much as nine in the first period, 19-10, and by eight, 18-10 in the second frame.

The UST Golden Tigresses show their stuff in Game 1 of the best of three Finals with the Ateneo Lady Eagles. The Tigresses won, 25-17, 25-16, 25-20, on Saturday, May 11, 2019 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Zeke Alonzo

"Magandang morale [ito] para sa mga bata. Sabi sa history, medyo matagal na [mula noong last nanalo vs. Ateneo] pero di ko na dinidiin 'yun. Importante sa 'min, play at the present," UST head coach Kung Fu Reyes said.

"'Di lang coaches, players, [pati] UST community, naging masaya sa outcome ng laro. Pinag-aralan namin kung sa'n kami puwede lumusot sa Ateneo kasi considering sila 'yung number one blocking team sa tournament," he added.

Reyes also said having the two best spikers in the league, senior Sisi Rondina and rookie Eya Laure, is an advantage for their team.

"Kakayanin naman siguro sa 'min dahil kami 'yung number one scoring team sa league. I have the first two best spikers sa league so malaking bagay," he added.

At the end of the elimination round, Rondina tallied 259 points in 14 games, while Laure made 230 points.

This is a continuation of UST's winning streak, the seventh consecutive win which started in the second season. This is also the first time that UST won against Ateneo since 2012. With the win, UST is now a win away from bringing the volleyball crown back to España.

"Masaya 'yung mga dilawan ngayon kasi panahon ng UST," Reyes said in jest. "Dilaw kasi UST kami," he clarified.

UAAP 81 Most Valuable Player Rondina stuffed the stat sheet with 23 points, 20 of which came from attacks.

"Gagawin ko po lahat, maibalik lang namin 'yung UST and 'yung korona sa España," the MVP said. "Papanindigan namin 'to. Sabi ko nga sa mga bata, walang aayaw, walang mawawala sa atin," she added.

The two teams will face each other again on Wednesday. —MDM/KG, GMA News