Fresh from a knockout battle for the second seed, the UST Golden Tigresses and De La Salle Lady Spikers will continue facing off in the Final Four stage of the UAAP Season 81 women's volleyball tournament on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
UST and La Salle arranged a virtual best-of-three series after ending up tied for 2nd place (10-4) at the end of the elimination round.
The Tigresses stunned the three-time defending champions to clinch their first twice-to-beat advantage since Season 73, while the Lady Spikers dropped out of the top two for the first time in ten years.
First round meeting: UST def. DLSU, 3-0
Second round meeting: DLSU def UST, 3-1
How UST got here
Sisi Rondina is determined to finish her collegiate career with a bang. Eya Laure, meanwhile, is hell-bent on making a difference and helping her teammates give Rondina a proper send-off. This combination resulted in the best 1-2 punch monster in the UAAP.
It was not an easy path for the Tigresses but they peaked at the right time. They are barging into the Final Four with a five-game streak, including a statement victory that snatched the second seed from the reigning champions.
How La Salle got here
For the past decade, La Salle never entered the Final Four with a twice-to-win disadvantage. With several key players from their recent three-peat gone from the lineup, the Lady Spikers struggled to display their usual championship form and killer instinct this season.
Coach Ramil de Jesus and his current squad found themselves in unfamiliar territory many times. They experienced back-to-back losses, a head-to-head sweep at the hands of UP, and a drop to the third seed. Now they need to survive a couple of do-or-die games to advance to the finals.
What UST needs to do to win
Rondina and Laure occupy the top two spots in the league's scoring and spiking leaderboard. This makes UST the most explosive team, boasting of a 31 percent success rate in attacks. When Rondina and Laure are both in the zone, they are absolutely difficult to stop.
Aside from their attacking prowess, however, the Tigresses are lagging in all other categories against La Salle. To stay in control, they need to be the aggressor for the entire match. Their own errors could be their downfall so they need to avoid getting rattled when their opponents are making a run.
Setter Alina Bicar, in particular, will have to ensure that they can still execute their plays even in pressure-packed moments.
What La Salle needs to do to win
La Salle's defense will be key against a Rondina-Laure powered squad. Libero Carmel Saga and middle blockers Lourdes Clemente and Aduke Ogunsanya will have their hands full patrolling the floor and the net, respectively.
The Lady Spikers also need to get balanced contributions from their attackers. Jolina dela Cruz, who usually carries most of the load, cannot counter UST's duo on her own. She needs ample support from veterans like Des Cheng, Tin Tiamzon, and May Luna. They can target the weak spots in their opponents' reception to get their offense going.
De Jesus, an 11-time UAAP champion coach, will definitely have multiple tricks up his sleeve as they aim to drag the Tigresses to a rubber match.