Tubino tows Lady Altas to three-peat

MANILA, Philippines - Do-it-all veteran player Honey Royse Tubino pushed herself to the limit and scored a whopping 35 points to help University of Perpetual Help Dalta System extend its dominance in the NCAA Volleyball tournament.

The Lady Altas relied on their tournament MVP and best scorer to snatch their third straight title over Arellano University in another thrilling five-setter match, 17-25, 25-22, 25-16, 25-27, 15-6, at San Juan Arena on Thursday.

Tubino admitted that she was exhausted after dropping a nail-bitting fourth set, 25-27, that sent the game in to a winner-take-all, race to 15 match.

"Noong fourth set pagod na ako pero sabi ko gagawin ko ang best ko para 'wag bumitiw (kasi) may champion heart ako at 'di ako papatalo," Tubino remembered as she finished with 30 kills and five blocks.

True enough, Tubino propelled the squad to separate themselves from a close 7-6 contest en route to the sweetest victory of the season.

Former MVP Norie Jane Diaz provided a solid backup duty for Tubino, contributing 18 markers to end the match that lasted for two hours and 20 minutes.

The Las Pinas-based squad proved that they could rebound from a disaster after a dismal game two performance, 21-25, 22-25, 6-25.

"Sabi ko sa teammates ko (after Game 2) di pa tapos ang lahat, di pa tayo talo," said the Zamboanga native skipper, who unleashed her prowess in game one as she scored 27 points to escape the gritty Lady Chiefs 27-29, 25-13, 25-16, 21-25, 15-9.

Menchie Tubiera scattered 16 markers, while Elaine Sagun, Cj Rosario and Danna Henson combined for 33 points for the Lady Lady Chiefs, but wasn't enough to give them their first title since joining the league in 2009.