By ADRIAN STEWART CO
The National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs secured the second Final 4 berth in the UAAP Season 88 women’s volleyball after sweeping winless University of the East (UE) Lady Warriors, 25-19, 25-14, 25-14, at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Quadricentennial Pavilion in Manila on Sunday, April 12.
The Lady Bulldogs extended their winning streak to three games and booked a fifth straight semifinal appearance since Season 84 (2022), a run highlighted by three titles and one runner-up finish.
With the victory, NU improved to a 9-3 record to hold solo second place in the standings. The Lady Bulldogs remain in contention for a higher seeding with still two games left in the eliminations.
After a brief challenge in the third set where UE grabbed an 11-9 lead, NU responded with a decisive 9-0 run behind contributions from Sam Cantada, Vange Alinsug, Arah Panique, and Alexa Mata to regain control.
The Lady Bulldogs closed out the match in 84 minutes, highlighted by key plays from Panique and a finishing block by Chamy Maaya.
Negrense Panique finished with 11 points, the same output of Cantada and Alinsug, while Mata added eight points built on four attacks and four blocks, and Maaya contributed six points.
UE continued to struggle, remaining winless through 12 matches and extending its losing streak to 26 games dating back to last season.
Team captain Van Bangayan paced the Lady Warriors with seven points.
Meanwhile, the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws boosted its Final 4 bid with a 25-21, 22-25, 25-19, 25-22 triumph over the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons.
The Lady Tamaraws halted a two-match slide and improved to a 7-5 record, creating a three-way tie in the standings with the Adamson Lady Falcons and the UST Golden Tigresses for the third to fifth spots.
Clarisse Loresco stepped up offensively for the Lady Tamaraws with 17 points, while Alyssa Devosora contributed a triple-double of 12 points, 21 excellent receptions and 12 excellent digs.
On the other hand, the Fighting Maroons slipped to 5-7, leaving them on the brink of elimination as they need to win their remaining assignments to stay in contention.
They were led by Niña Ytang’s 19 markers./ASC, WDJ