The UST Golden Tigresses show poise as they douse the La Salle Lady Spikers' roaring comeback from 0-2 down to stay undefeated in the UAAP Season 86 women's volleyball tournament.
University of Santo Tomas stumbled after a 2-0 set lead but recovered when it mattered most, halting reigning champion La Salle, 25-18, 25-23, 14-25, 16-25, 15-12, in the UAAP Season 86 women's volleyball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay on Sunday, Feb. 25.
The Golden Tigresses unleashed a 6-0 bomb to finally wrap up the match in the fifth after wasting a strong start.
UST thus picked up its third straight win in as many games to pace the rest of the field, while the Lady Spikers tripped for the first time to slip to second at 2-1.
Jonna Perdido showed up in her best game yet, finishing with 24 points on 21 attacks and three blocks for the Golden Tigresses. Angge Poyos and Margaret Banagua, meanwhile, added 21 and 11 points, respectively.
Angel Canino gave it her all for DLSU with her impressive 28-point effort. Thea Gagate and Amie Provido each produced 11 markers while Baby Jyne Soreno both put in 10.
Poyos, Banagua and Cassie Carballo combined in the Golden Tigresses' finishing kick as they erased a 12-9 deficit to seal the win.
Following an emphatic 2-0 start, UST struggled against a regrouped DLSU squad which made mincemeat of the Golden Tigresses in the third and fourth frames to even the match.
Buoyed by the momentum, the Lady Spikers took the early initiative in the decider, as they took a 3-0 lead on a Malaluan hit which they further stretched to 7-3 on a two-point swing by Canino.
Not to be outdone, rookie Poyos, Bianca Plaza and Perdido teamed up in a 5-1 tear for UST to tie it at eight.
DLSU retaliated with a 4-1 run of their own sparked by back-to-back hits by Canino anew to regain the lead for DLSU at 9-12.
But the Lady Spikers were silenced from there as the Golden Tigresses delivered to the finish.
The Taft-based squad slid to a 2-1 slate together with Far Eastern U at second.