Lady Bulldogs deal Golden Tigresses 1st loss

MANILA, Philippines -- Flawless no more.

The UST Golden Tigresses’ undefeated run in the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball tournament went to a close after the squad suffered a four-set defeat against the National University Lady Bulldogs, 23-25, 25-17, 25-21, 25-20, Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

After dropping the second and third sets, UST tried to win the fourth set but they played catch up the whole frame.

They were able to keep in step with NU, 9-11, but back-to-back points by the Lady Bulldogs capped by an Alyssa Solomon hit to take an 11-3 lead.

This was enough separation to stave off runs by the Golden Tigresses.

An error by Bella Belen gave the Espana-based squad a window of opportunity, cutting the lead to two, 16-18.

However, the Lady Bulldogs bared their fangs anew, unleashing a 5-1 run capped by a Vange Alinsug down-the-line attack to take a 23-19 lead.

A block by Pia Abbu helped UST inch closer, 23-20, but it was the last point by the Tigresses after Solomon punched in back-to-back points to secure the victory.

After a hard-fought first set win by the Tigresses, the two teams were kept at a 5-all deadlock in the second set.

NU then unleashed a relentless stream of attacks and took a seven-point lead, 21-14, with back-to-back points by Bella Belen and Lams Lamina.

A down-the-line hit by Chamyy Maaya gave NU a 25-17 win in the second set, tying the match up.

Belen led NU with 24 points, 13 excellent digs and 10 excellent receptions.

Alinsug and Solomon added 18 and 17 markers, respectively.

For the UST side, Angeline Poyos had 18 points as NU’s tall frontline made things hard for her.

Reg Jurado chipped in 11.

Despite the loss, the Tigresses are still firmly on top of the competition with an 8-1 win-loss record. The Lady Bulldogs rose to 7-2.