Adamson rallies to sweep UE, secures first win streak of the season

Adamson University eliminated University of the East in straight sets, 25-15, 25-18, 28-26, completing a thrilling comeback in the third set to extend their win streak in the UAAP Season 88 Collegiate Women’s Volleyball Tournament at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion on Saturday.

The Lady Falcons faced a tough challenge in the third set, trailing 8-16, but showed incredible resilience to turn the game around. Thanks to UE’s errors and timely attacks from Shaina Nitura and Frances Mordi, Adamson clawed their way back from a 16-21 deficit to tie the set at 24-all.

Despite a misstep from Nigerian open hitter Blessing Unekwe, who hit two consecutive spikes out of bounds, giving UE an apparent set win at 26-24, Lady Falcons head coach JP Yude stepped up with a crucial challenge.

Yude called for a net fault review on what could have been UE’s set-winning point, and the review confirmed the error, tying the score at 25-all. Adamson then clinched the set and the match, marking their first win streak of the season.

The victory pushed the Lady Falcons to 6-4, moving them into solo fourth place and just half a game behind second-place Far Eastern University and National University at 6-3.

Yude emphasized the importance of continued improvement as the tournament progresses.

“Hindi pa naman tapos. Kaya natin at hindi tayo matatalo sa set na ito. I believe naman sa mga bata on how they respond sa ganoong sitwasyon, unti-unti nag-grow naman sila,” Yude said. “Thank you, Lord, talaga ‘yung challenge na ’yon kasi nagpalo ni Frances, nakita kong gumalaw ‘yung net, eh, so hindi ako nag-atubili sa pagpapatay ng bola; nag-challenge agad ako.”

The match ended after one hour and 38 minutes, with Third Tuddao and Nitura finishing it off with back-to-back kills.

Mordi led Adamson with 18 points, six receptions, and six digs. Nitura added 13 points despite a challenging 8-of-39 attacking performance but contributed with three blocks, two aces, nine digs, and eight receptions. Tuddao recorded nine points, including five spikes and three blocks, while rookie Abby Segui impressed with seven points and a solid 9-of-11 digs.

Adamson will face National University on Easter Sunday at the same venue.

For UE, Khy Cepada fought valiantly, scoring 14 points on 14-of-62 attacks, while Keshia Famulagan and Bea Zamudio contributed six and five points, respectively. Captain Van Bangayan was limited to just two points.

With a 0-10 record, the Lady Warriors have officially been eliminated from Final Four contention and will look for their first win against the Golden Tigresses on Easter Sunday.