UAAP: NU Lady Bulldogs hold off UST in thriller to complete first round sweep

Metro Manila, Philippines - The National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs completed a first round sweep of the UAAP Season 87 women's volleyball tournament after defeating the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Golden Tigresses, 23-25, 25-17, 19-25, 25-18, 15-9, on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

Alyssa Solomon rallied the Lady Bulldogs with a game-high 24 points on 21 spikes and three blocks, while Bella Belen contributed 17 points in a match that was witnessed by nearly 13,000 fans in attendance.

"We're happy because we experienced this kind of battle. UST really wouldn't go down without a fight," said NU head coach Sherwin Meneses in a post-game press conference.

Things were looking positive for UST as the España-based squad held a 2-1 set advantage entering the fourth frame.

But the Lady Bulldogs' championship composure was on a different level as they were able to force a decider.

Belen took over in the fifth set, delivering three straight points to help NU pull away and secure the victory.

Regina Jurado and Angeline Poyos paced the Golden Tigresses with 16 points and 13 points, respectively.

UST is tied with the De La Salle University Lady Spikers at second place with an identical 5-2 win-loss record.