NU drops Adamson in 4 sets to claim twice-to-beat; La Salle downs UST to grab solo second

National University is already assured of a twice-to-beat advantage after dropping Adamson University in four sets,  25-20, 25-17, 13-25, 25-13, on Thursday in the UAAP Season 84 women's volleyball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Alyssa Solomon led the Lady Bulldogs to its 11th straight win with 20 points off 17 attacks and three aces, while Michaela Belen made 18 points and 11 excellent receptions.

NU head coach Karl Dimaculangan said the win was a confidence-booster for the Sampaloc-based squad.

"Parang looking forward na nga rin kami sa Final Four kaya kami nag pe-prepare talaga nang maayos, kailangan naming gumalaw na parang as if hindi namin iniintindi 'yung standing," he said.

("We're looking forward to the Final Four so we're preparing properly, we have to move as if we're not thinking about the standings.")

Meanwhile, De La Salle University grabbed the solo second spot as it defeated University of Santo Tomas, 25-23, 25-17, 22-25, 25-8. The Lady Spikers limited UST's Eya Laure to just eight points, her worst outing for the season, as Leila Cruz made a significant impact for the Taft-based squad with 15 points off 13 attacks and two blocks.

In the other games, University of the Philippines swept Far Eastern University, 25-10, 25-19, 25-7. Ateneo de Manila University also won over University of the East in straight sets, 25-16, 25-22, 25-11.

After La Salle and NU, UST placed third in the standings with seven wins and four losses, while Adamson went down to 6-5, tied with Ateneo. UP improved to 5-6, while FEU went down to 1-10. UE remained winless in the tournament. FEU and UE are already out of Final Four contention.

UAAP volleyball action returns on Saturday.

—MGP, GMA News