MANILA — The University of Santo Tomas (UST) extended their winning streak in the 2024 Shakey’s Super League Collegiate Pre-season Championship, pulling off a thrilling come-from-behind victory against the University of the East (UE) on Sunday.
Despite dropping the first two sets, the Growling Tigresses rallied to secure a reverse sweep over the Lady Warriors, 23-25, 23-25, 25-14, 25-17, 15-9, at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
UAAP Rookie of the Year Angge Poyos took control in the decisive fifth set, scoring eight points to lead UST to a perfect 4-0 record in the pool stage.
Poyos delivered a stellar performance, finishing with 28 points, including the match-winning spike.
For UE, the loss marked their first defeat in the tournament.
“Nag-stick lang kami sa sistema and nakinig lang kami sa instructions ng mga coaches. ‘Yung communication and enjoyment ibinalik lang namin nu’ng third, fourth, and fifth set.
Talagang malaking factor din ‘yun kung bakit namin nakuha ang panalo,” said Poyos, who had 25 points and three kill blocks.
Regina Jurado contributed 15 points, while Jonna Perdido added 14 for UST, which snapped UE’s three-game winning streak.
Poyos scored four early points in the fifth set as UST raced to a 5-0 lead. UE’s Casiey Dongallo trimmed the deficit to 11-8, but UST won three consecutive rallies to reach match point.
Dongallo saved one match point, but Poyos sealed the win for UST after a two-hour, 27-minute battle.
Jelai Gajero and Dongallo led UE with 14 points each, combining for 27 kills, while KC Cepada added 11 points.
UST will next face Far Eastern University and the second-ranked teams in Pools A and C in a round-robin format to compete for a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, UE will meet De La Salle University, the top seed in Pool A, and the second seed in Pool D in the next round.
In other matches, National University (NU), aiming for their third straight title, dominated San Beda University with a 25-19, 25-7, 25-17 victory, advancing with a 3-0 record in Pool A. Myrtle Escanlar scored 13 points, while MVP Alyssa Solomon added 12 for NU. Angel Habacon led San Beda with 11 points, as they concluded their campaign with a 1-3 record.