Adamson braces for UST fightback

Adamson University braces for a big University of Santo Tomas (UST) fightback as it seeks to annex a second straight V-League Collegiate Challenge crown Friday at the Filoil Centre.

The Lady Falcons, who took Wednesday's opener, 22-25, 25-19, 16-25, 27-25, 15-12, are ready for what the Tigresses will bring to the table in Game 2 at 2 p.m.

In the men's division, National University is girding up for a major Far Eastern University bounce back as it eyes to end a four-year championship drought at 5 p.m.

The Bulldogs moved on the cusp of winning their first V-League title since 2022 after taking a hard-fought 25-14, 39-37, 25-22 victory over the Tamaraws in Game 1.

“In terms of skill and offense, we are right there with them. I can see the capability is there, but we really need to raise our execution percentage,” NU head coach Dante Alinsunurin said.

It was FEU's first loss of the tournament after a perfect 7-0 preliminary round and a two-match sweep of National Collegiate Athletic Association champion College of Saint Benilde in the semifinals.

Adamson replicated what it has been doing in the preliminaries, winning without Shai Nitura, who sat out in the opener.

Nigerian Frances Mordi was at her usual best with 24 points and 11 receptions, while opposite spiker Third Tuddao contributed 12 points and 11 receptions. Delivering the goods in the absence of Nitura were Joy Aseo, who had 19 points in the first four sets, and Lana Barrera, who started in the fifth set and contributed four points.

“For me, I’m very happy with how they performed in this game because just yesterday, we were practically bickering during practice,” Lady Falcons head coach JP Yude said.

A Nitura Game 2 return will pose more problems for UST, which failed to close out in the fourth set and could not come up with the crucial stops it needed in the decider.

Reg Jurado, Angge Poyos and Marga Altea are expected to produce numbers for the Tigresses, who are looking to correct those lapses, especially in the crunch if they want to extend the series to a do-or-die Game 3 on Sunday.

Jurado had 25 points, her best scoring output ever in a V-League game, while Poyos and Altea added 17 and 13, respectively.

For the Tamaraws, it's all about mental toughness. FEU had several chances to secure the second set, but NU showed steely resolve to prevail and eventually claim the second-set win.

The return of Alas Pilipinas standouts Buds Buddin, Peng Taguibolos, and Leo Ordiales has boosted the Bulldogs, with Jade Disquitado also a major contributor in the Game 1 win.

Dyrx Saavedra will lead FEU, which also has Lirick Mendoza back on the roster.