The University of the Philippines Women’s Volleyball Team (UP WVT) ends their playoff run in the 2024 Shakey’s Super League (SSL) Pre-season Championship after being pounced down by defending champions National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs in straight sets, 12-25, 22-25, 17-25, on Sunday, Nov. 3, at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
State U seniors Niña Ytang, Irah Jaboneta, and team captain Nica Celis sat out the quarterfinal match as newly appointed head coach Benson Bocboc aimed to give younger talents within their pool more playing time to evaluate their performance.
“We want to give others a chance. We’ve seen what they can do but there are still many of us that I haven’t seen in action or don’t know yet,” Bocboc told Tinig ng Plaridel in a post-match interview.
The rookie-laden Fighting Maroons had difficulty setting up plays in the opening set as the Lady Bulldogs put the pressure from the service line, with NU’s Bella Belen registering two service aces as they built an early 8-1 lead.
The Fighting Maroons came out more aggressive in the second frame, with league-leading blocker Kassie Doering going on a personal three-point scoring spree to push UP to a 22-19 cushion late in the set.
However, the Sampaloc-based squad unleashed a swift 5-0 run, with setter Camilla Lamina firing three consecutive aces to put Diliman down for another set.
In the third salvo, the Fighting Maroons were neck-and-neck with the Lady Bulldogs until the latter pulled away from the 11-13 mark.
A three-point surge from Denise Lauchengco and Doering towards the end was not enough to stop the bleeding for State U, as Myrtle Escanlar and Abegail Pono’s attacks, paired with Minerva Maaya’s game-winning block sealed the deal for NU.
Doering was the lone bright spot for State U, scoring 10 points off of six attacks, two blocks, and two aces, closely followed by Okusugu Ali and Louise Bansil with 5 markers apiece.
Meanwhile, NU’s Belen and Alyssa Solomon finished with 10 and 12 points, respectively.
While gaining a slight edge in blocks (5-4), the Fighting Maroons were outpowered at the rest of the offensive departments, with the deficit in attacks (27-45) and aces (3-6) setting the stage for a rout.
State U also gave away 20 points in errors against the Lady Bulldogs’ 16.
Bocboc’s late coaching debut proves to serve as an opportunity to get to know the players and witness their connection inside the court.
Although the team’s chemistry has been positive under his watch so far, Bocboc said he seeks to improve it further.
During the second round, the Lady Maroons registered a 1-2 slate after winning against the Ateneo Blue Eagles, sliding to a loss against the University of Santo Tomas Golden Tigresses and a close match against the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws.
UP WVT will face the College of Saint Benilde Lady Blazers for their first classification match on Wednesday, Nov. 6, at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
