University of Santo Tomas was not to be denied a coveted three-peat and roared to victory in the sudden death showdown against a disorganized San Sebastian squad to clinch the Shakey’s V League 7th Season Conference before a drum-beating, cheering throng at The Arena in San Juan, Thursday.
The Tigresses staked their claim as the country’s top women’s volley team as they overpowered San Sebastian in four sets 25-20, 25-27, 25-12, 25-15 behind the exploits of last year’s MVP and skipper Aiza Maizo, the awesome lefty, and the talented Maika Ortiz.
UST appeared prepared to concede the second set when they were down 22-16 and coach Shaq Delos Santos decided to pull out his stars, guest player Mary Jane Balse and Michelle Carolino in order to preserve their strength for the third set. But the bench battled back to even the count at 24-24 before the Stags eventually scraped through to even the count at one set apiece 27-25.
Their confidence boosted UST ripped through the San Sebastian team that appeared to fall apart behind a maze of unforgivable errors to dominate the next two sets 25-12, 25-15 to clinch a well-deserved victory and send the predominantly pro-UST crowd into a frenzy of cheering that rocked The Arena with the excitement and passion associated with collegiate sports.
The three-peat matched La Salle’s feat in 2004-06 with the Tigresses collecting their sixth crown in the league sponsored by Shakey’s Pizza and presented by PLDT MyDSL.
San Sebastian, which nurtured hopes for a second title after forcing a do-or-die playoff game with a five-set victory in Game Two had to settle for runner-up honors which was their fifth in the tournament organized by Sports Vision and backed by Accel, Mikasa and Mighty Bond.
It was another heartbreaking loss for Thai import Jeng Bualee who cried on the way to the San Sebastian dugout because she wanted a championship so badly.
UST’s tactics were clearly superior as they kept pressuring Bualee and Suzanne Roces in an effort to tire them out which succeeded in the crucial third and fourth sets as the two stars of San Sebastian faded against the relentless pressure of the Tigresses who clawed at every opportunity to make San Sebastian pay.
The Tigresses put up a solid defensive wall upfront and effectively neutralized the power-hitting troika of Bualee, Roces and Joy Benito, finishing with 13 blocks as against SSC’s seven.
Maizo and Denise Santiago each had three blocks with the former also displaying her awesome offense with 14 kills for a 17-point output.
Guest player Mary Jean Balse and setter Rhea Dimaculangan added 13 and 12 points, respectively while Michelle Carolino, the team’s other reinforcement as well as Santiago backed them up with nine points apiece.
“I’m so happy with this (third) win. I’m so thankful to God and we dedicate this championship to Him,“ said coach Shaq Delos Santos, who made sure to be back at the UST helm on its historic bid.
The Tigresses also drew inspiration from the crowd that practically gave them the proverbial home court advantage throughout the series.
“It’s a great feeling that we make a lot of people happy, we owe it to them to give them what they want and perform the way they expect us to play,“ said Delos Santos.
It was UST’s fourth win over SSC in their five title duels, with the Tigresses getting the job done despite the absence of injured mainstays Angeli Tabaquero and sophomore Maru Banaticla.
Maizo who deservedly bagged the finals MVP honors said “I’m so happy with the win.Coach told us to just enjoy the game. If it is for us, we should be thankful and even if we lose we should accept it graciously.“
Dimaculangan clinched the victory for UST with a drop shot which came after Carolino unloaded back-to-back kills that thwarted any SSC uprising in the fourth frame.
UST was the only team to enter the Final Four with an all-Filipino line-up, again proving the locals’ talent against teams that reinforced their rosters with Thai imports.
Benito topscored for SSC with 17 hits while Bualee churned out a 16-point job and Roces added 13 points although they were clearly out-gunned by UST.
San Sebastian coach Roger Gorayeb apologized to the fans for the team’s failure to win the title pointing out “I as coach want so much to win but I told my players they must have the desire to win and fight with all their heart. If they don’t there is nothing I can do as coach.”
With the resounding success of the tournament Shakey’s officials were overjoyed as women’s volleyball proved it is a sport that draws the fans, provides good exciting games and deserves to get more support from the private sector.
Sports Vision chairman Moying Martelino and top executive Ricky Palou said with the excitement and following generated in the championship series they are almost certain to make the finals a best-of-five showdown in the next conference which opens on July 11.
Popularity: 12% [?]
