Quezon city: University of Santo Tomas hopes to keep its momentum going against defending champion and No. 2 seed National University to secure the last finals berth in the UAAP Season 88 women's volleyball at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
According to Philippines News Agency, the Tigresses, who already survived consecutive do-or-die games, meet the Lady Bulldogs at 3 p.m. The winner will advance against unbeaten De La Salle University in the best-of-three title series starting May 6 at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
After losing to NU in the elimination round, UST ousted Far Eastern University in the playoff for No. 4 before ending Adamson University's hopes in the stepladder quarterfinals. "I think we need to put in more effort. Triple what we did in Adamson because of course, knowing NU, we know that they are always competitive. Our last game [against NU], I was very happy because it was just a little bit. I think the result could have changed. We will try," UST coach Shaq delos Santos said in a news release Friday.
NU defeated UST, 19-25, 23-25, 25-18, 25-18, 15-13, in the second round preliminary to secure the coveted bye in the stepladder phase. "I'll be honest and of course, we'll try to win because that game is very important. I think it's just a good recovery again, and a review of our actions in the last game. We'll polish what's needed again and we'll focus on our strengths, especially," Delos Santos said.
The Tigresses are determined to hurdle another team they failed to beat in the eliminations. "Actually, we realized that all our losses from eliminations were from the upper ranked teams. The way we approached this Adamson game, the way we pulled out those losses from the eliminations, that's how we'll approach the next games," opposite spiker Regina Jurado said.
A victory would send UST back to the Finals for the second time in three seasons and set up a first title duel with La Salle since Season 71 (2011). Meanwhile, NU is seeking a fourth finals showdown with La Salle in the last five seasons.
NU coach Regine Diego was relieved to avoid the first stepladder stage. The Lady Bulldogs, however, cannot afford any slip-ups. "We have to prepare not just physically, but mentally. Hopefully, all conditions are equal during that time because we still have the advantage of being No.2 because we still have time to perfect and fix our mistakes and hopefully get wins in the future," Diego said.
Vange Alinsug has remained confident about their chances of reaching a fifth consecutive finals appearance. "We are always optimistic. Because of course, we know that our opponents are really tough. So for us, we are just going back to discipline and how much we like it. That will also start in practice," Alinsug said.
