The UP Fighting Maroons Women’s Volleyball Team (UPWVT) handed the National University (NU) Women’s Volleyball Team its first loss in the 87th season of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP).
The UPWVT triumphed over the Lady Bulldogs in a hard fought five-set match (26-24, 23-25, 17-25, 25-23, and 15-12), held last March 26 at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
The UP Fighting Maroons, led by Niña Ytang’s early 11 points, won the tightly contested first set, but the Lady Bulldogs rallied to take the next two sets for a 2-1 set lead.
They continued their hot streak in the fourth set and were ahead by five points at 15-10. However, the UP Fighting Maroons recovered and engaged the Lady Bulldogs in a seesaw battle as the set neared its end. With the score tied at 23, Kianne Olango scored with an off-the-block opposite attack, and Ytang’s followed with a power tip from a free ball. This secured the fourth set for the UP Fighting Maroons, forcing a decisive fifth set.
In a nip-and-tuck fifth set, the Lady Bulldogs gained the upper hand when Sheena Toring and Alyssa Solomon delivered back-to-back kill blocks to give NU a 12-11 advantage. Showing composure, the UP Fighting Maroons fought back as they racked up four straight points behind the two errors committed by Solomon, a power tip on a quick attack by Ytang, and a drop ball from Joan Monares, clinching a come-from-behind win against the defending champions.
Ytang demonstrated her versatility on the court and scored 30 points, through 27 attacks and three blocks. According to the UAAP, Ytang is the first middle blocker in the UAAP to score at least 30 points in a game since Jaja Santiago, a Lady Bulldog star, who scored 30 points in a five set defeat against the University of Santo Tomas on 8 April 2017.
Ytang’s superb game was supported by Monares’ 16 points, and 10-point productions from Olango, Irah Jaboneta, and Bienne Bansil.
UPWVT’s next game is against the University of the East Lady Warriors on March 30, 1 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.