UST trips UP, earns semis playoff
Games tomorrow 12:30 p.m. – 100Plus vs IEM (S Turf); 4 p.m. – Laoag vs Air Force (V-League) 6 p.m. – BaliPure vs Customs (V-League)
University of Santo Tomas kept pounding the opposition with its power game and gritty plays, beating University of the Philippines, 28- 26, 25- 19, 25-18, to notch its fourth straight win for at least a playoff for the last semifinal berth in the Shakey’s V- League Season 13 Reinforced Conference at the Philsports Arena in Pasig last night.
The Tigresses pulled through in a tight, extended first-set duel then imposed their will in the next two as they pounced on their rivals’ poor reception and erratic plays to fashion out the straight-set victory and bolster their Final Four drive in the single round elims of the season-ending conference of the league sponsored by Shakey’s.
Carla Sandoval and EJ Laure fired 14 and 13 hits, respectively, to again lead UST’s attack while Marivic Meneses and Pam Lastimosa combined for 19 points as the España-based squad sustained its hot start that included victories over Air Force, Coast Guard and BaliPure. UP slid to 1-2. Earlier, Pocari Sweat shrugged off a poor start with a strong finish and went on to crush Coast Guard, 25-16, 25-9, 25-17, and bounce back into contention.
Skipper Michelle Gumabao came away with 14 points, including four aces, while American imports Kay Kacsits and Breanna Mackie added 10 hits apiece as the Open Conference champions disposed of the overmatched Lady Dolphins to force a three-way tie at 1-1 with Air Force and Laoag.
So outclassed were the Lady Dolphins that Pocari could play all Filipino and still win. With a 41-15 discrepancy in spikes, 7-3 in blocks and 11-3, the Lady Warriors had a virtual practice round against a team which has dropped its first four games in straight sets in the tournament backed by Mikasa as official ball and Accel as official outfitter.
“It doesn’t matter how you start, but how you finish and we did well in the end,” said Gumabao, referring to their shaky starts in the first two sets that even saw them yield the first six points to the Lady Dolphins in the opening frame and trail by four in the third.
Pocari, which dropped a sorry five-set loss to Air Force last week, also showed up with Jose Rizal U’s Shola Alvarez, who came in late in the third and scored two points, the last wrapping up the 66-minute match.
Grenlen Malapit scored seven hits while Sam Dawson and Jane Maderazo added five and four points for Coast Guard.