MANILA -- (UPDATED) Challenged but not defeated.
The University of the Philippines (UP) Lady Maroons strengthened their hold on the top spot of the UAAP women's volleyball tournament with a still-flawless record after toppling the gritty University of Santo Tomas (UST) Tigresses, 25-22, 25-22, 29-31, 25-19 in The Arena in San Juan Sunday.
After suffering their first set loss of the season, the Lady Maroons took control of the fourth set, building a four-point cushion early after a back-to-back errors of UST, 10-6.
UST threatened to come back with four straight points, highlighted by an exclamation spike of captain Cherry Ann Rondina, 18-21.
Isa Molde capped the match with an ace, 25-19.
The Lady Maroons leaned on their heavy services, registering a total of 15 aces in the game compared to just four for the Tigresses, to improve to 4-0.
Diana Mae Carlos paced the Lady Maroons, connecting a game-high 18 points, while Molde and Tiamzon scored 14 and 13 markers, respectively.
"Maturity talaga ang keyword kasi kung wala maturity, (walang) recovery nila 'di agad mababawi," Rald Ricafort, UP assistant coach, said.
Down by two sets, the Tigresses fought back in the third frame, creating a three-point lead after a down-the-line hit of Laure, 12-9.
Rondina kept her team on the upperhand with a crosscourt spike, 19-15, but UP rallied back, highlighted by a Carlos topspin, 18-19.
UP almost had a straight-sets victory when Carlos scored a block, 24-23, but the team committed a series of errors and gave UST its first set point.
Laure took over hitting crucial spikes including the set-clinching attack, 31-29.
Laure had 18 points on a losing effort while Rondina contributed 12 of her own. UST dropped to a 1-3 card.
This story was originally published on the ABS-CBN Sports website.
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