The UST Golden Tigresses clinched the second seed after fending off the La Salle Lady Spikers in four sets, 25-14, 25-23, 23-25, 25-19, in the UAAP Season 81 women's volleyball tournament Wednesday at the Filoil Flying V Centre.
Now armed with a twice-to-beat edge over La Salle in the Final Four, UST inched closer to securing its first finals appearance since Season 73, which was also the last time that the team finished in the top two heading into the playoffs.
Sisi Rondina unleashed her top-notch scoring prowess to finish with 29 points built on 25 attacks, two blocks, and two aces.
"As coach Kungfu [Reyes] said, the league is not yet over so we can't afford to relax. We'll continue to work hard to reach our goal," the graduating captain said.
The Tigresses took advantage of their opponent's errors to earn a lopsided win in the opening set. They also cruised through early in Set 2 but the Lady Spikers made a huge run midway to turn it into a tight ballgame. Rondina conspired with Eya Laure to make UST break away but La Salle continued to catch up. Laure eventually delivered the kill that pushed her team to a 2-0 lead in the match.
With their backs against the wall, the defending champions tightened their defense to build momentum and race to 6-1 in Set 3. The Tigresses clawed their way back to the top before a back-and-forth exchange ensued. After establishing a bit of cushion, the Lady Spikers stayed composed down the stretch to extend the match despite UST's late surge.
The fourth set began with another intense showdown between the two teams but Rondina's aggressive attacks, coupled with great teamwork on defense, allowed the Tigresses to seize control. Laure once again soared for the finishing blow that secured the victory.
The semifinals will begin this weekend at the Mall of Asia Arena. Top-seeded Ateneo will clash with FEU on Saturday, while UST and DLSU will meet again on Sunday.
"We had a good preparation, but right now, I'm thinking about our recovery coming from the game today heading into the game on Sunday," said UST coach Kungfu Reyes. "Our win today is a great morale booster [but] it's a huge challenge to face the defending champions. The real battle is just about to start."