February 22, 2025 | 2:08pm
MANILA, Philippines — Regina Jurado and Angge Poyos teamed up for huge performances as University of Santo Tomas fought off the gritty University of the East Lady Warriors, 28-26, 22-25, 25-23, 25-15, in the UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball tournament Saturday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
Jurado punched in 22 points, while Poyos had 21 to give the Golden Tigresses their first win of the tournament.
Jurado tallied 18 attack points, two blocks and two service aces, while Poyos finished with 14 attacks, four blocks and three aces.
With the Tigresses leading two sets to one, UST went ahead by seven points, 10-3, early in the fourth set.
But UE did not go away, cutting the lead to three, 7-10, after a 4-0 run capped by back-to-back aces by Nessa Bangayan.
But UST, with Margaret Altea showing the way, slowly pulled away.
After back-to-back attacks by Bangayan, the Golden Spikers unleashed four straight points on a Jurado drop, consecutive kills by Poyos and a rotation error by UE to grab a nine point lead, 23-14.
A service error by Altea kept a window of opportunity open for the Lady Warriors, 15-23, but an off-the-block attempt by Jurado pushed UST to the match point.
An attack error by Bangayan ended the game and gave the Espana-based squad their bounceback win.
After coming from 20-24 down in the first set, UST dropped the second set, seeing a 21-all deadlock turn into a 25-22 loss.
In the second set, Golden Tigress Kyla Cordora sustained an ankle injury and had to be subbed out of the game.
But come the third set, the victors would not be denied, seeing a 18-15 lead to a 21-161 advantage.
Errors by UST, as well as crucial points by Mary Ecalla and Beatrice Zamudio, towed UE back into it, making it a 23-24 deficit.
But a Poyos kill ended the set and gave the Tigresses the 2-1 edge.
UST, last season’s runner-up, earlier absorbed a four-set defeat at the hands of Far Eastern University.
“Well, a win is a win naman. Nakita namin yung mga lapses pa rin, so we will work na matanggal yung lapses na yun. Again, yung communication, connection agad. Yun ang naging problema namin nung natalo kami,” Tigresses assistant coach Yani Fernandez said.
Altea produced 10 points for UST while Pia Abbu had eight. The team tallied 57 attack points compared to UE’s 44, while also having 15 block points against just four for the Lady Warriors. The former, though, committed 29 errors to the latter’s 22.
UST will be facing the La Salle Lady Spikers on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
“Maraming lapses na kailangan i-polish para sa Wednesday, makaporma rin kami sa La Salle,” said Fernandez.
The Recto-based squad, for its part, will face the Adamson Lady Falcons also on Wednesday at the same Pasay City venue.
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