Mary Jean Balse and Joyce Paño stepped up in the absence of the flu-stricken Bernal as the two pummeled their opponents with crisp kills to power the España-based netters to the victory that firmed up their hold of the lead in the compact six-team field.
"It showed that my players are maturing, they’ve proven that they can win it even if my top player isn’t there," said UST coach August Sta. Maria referring to Bernal, who keyed UST’s 25-10, 25-14, 25-19 rout of Letran last Sunday.
The straight-set victory, however, didn’t reflect the Tigresses’ struggle against the best squad in the NCAA.
Playing without their top setter Ma. Elena Mayo, who was down with measles, the Lady Stags fell to a 14-20 start, fought back to two set points before committing a pair of crucial errors that gave the Tigresses the set and a 1-0 lead.
The second frame proved no different as the UST belles roared to a 19-14 start before the Mendiola-based lady spikers battled back anew to tie the count at 22-all until Balse, a rookie transferee from Davao, capped a big 3-0 windup with an ace for a commanding 2-0 edge.
The power-hitting pair of Angela Descalsota and Jinni Mondejar came through with a barrage of smashes as San Sebastian roared to an 8-1 lead in the third set. But the Tigresses fought their way back into contention with Paño taking over the net with a number of solid kills as UST moved within a point from sealing the win, 24-20.