UST, La Salle dispute No. 2 seed

UNIVERSITY of Santo Tomas (UST) and De La Salle University, girding up for a third straight Final Four showdown, dispute the twice-to-beat slot on Wednesday in the UAAP Season 87 women's volleyball tournament at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

Expect another down-the-wire matchup between the Tigresses and the Lady Spikers at 2 p.m., with the winner securing the Final Four bonus and gaining a huge psychological advantage heading into their next meeting on Saturday.

The other Final Four pits defending champion National University, which has the twice-to-beat incentive after finishing No. 1 in the eliminations with a 12-2 record, and the fourth-ranked Far Eastern University (FEU), also on Saturday. The Lady Bulldogs and the Lady Tamaraws will meet in the Final Four for the second straight season.

UST and De La Salle ended up tied with FEU in second to fourth spots at 9-5, as well as in the ranking points tiebreaker with 27 points apiece.

With a superior set ratio over the Lady Tamaraws, the Tigresses and the Lady Spikers will duke it out in a playoff for the coveted No. 2 spot.

UST and De La Salle have split their two previous Final Four duels. The Lady Spikers emerged triumphant en route to winning the UAAP Season 85 (2023) title, while the Tigresses got their revenge last season to reach the league's biggest stage.

For UST coach Kungfu Reyes, it's all about who wants it more right now.

"Even La Salle says the same thing — they know us well, and we know their staff, too. We both know each other's go-to players. It's going to come down to a battle of mental toughness and heart when we face each other in the playoffs," said Reyes.

The Tigresses won their first meeting, 25-12, 22-25, 13-25, 25-23, 15-13, last Feb. 26, while the Lady Spikers evened up their head-to-head eliminations duel with a 15-25, 25-17, 24-26, 25-20, 16-14 victory last March 29.

Angge Poyos and Reg Jurado have been carrying the offensive load for UST all season long, while De La Salle turned to Angel Canino and Shevana Laput when the going gets tough.

The Lady Spikers have a solid frontline with Em Provido and Lilay del Castillo, while Em Banagua has a solid second round for the Tigresses in the middle to team up with Pia Abbu.