UP ousts UE in rare romp, further fuels unexpected UAAP Final Four charge
MANILA, Philippines – UP’s Final Four push in UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball remains alive and well as the Fighting Maroons romped the winless UE Lady Warriors out of the title picture, 25-21, 25-18, 25-17, at the Araneta Coliseum on Sunday, March 30.
With the win, the underdog Maroons now stand at fifth with a 5-5 record, just half a game behind last season’s finalist UST, while the listless Lady Warriors fell to a 0-10 slate, still at the bottom of the cellar.
Joan Monares led the balanced effort with 15 points off 10 attacks, 3 aces, and 2 blocks, while fellow star Irah Jaboneta scattered 13 points, 9 excellent digs, and 8 excellent receptions.
“Coming from a win, we cannot relax since this is the second round,” Jaboneta said in Filipino. “The games are more challenging and it’s not always easy, so we just have to keep working and play how we’re supposed to play. We just have to keep our teamwork and discipline.”
Star middle blocker Niña Ytang, after scoring 74 points in a three-game stretch that included a career-high 30 against defending champion NU, took a backseat with 6 points as head coach Benson Bocboc shuffled his players around, opening touches to the likes of Doering and setter Julia de Leon.
Seizing full momentum with a commanding two-set lead, UP rolled to a 12-5 start in the third off a Monares push and never looked back, maintaining a comfortable gap over UE and leading by as many as 9, 24-16, off a Bea Zamudio attack error.
Monares then sunk the finisher two possessions later as the Maroons cruised to their first straight-sets win in 3 long years, not since they defeated FEU in Season 84 in 2022.
Van Bangayan paced the sorry ousting loss with 13 points as top scorer Khy Cepada disappeared with 4 points before being benched in the third set for Zamudio. – Rappler.com