The UST Golden Tigresses completed a five-set comeback to dismantle the FEU Lady Tamaraws in as many sets, 22-25, 21-25, 25-23, 25-20, 15-7, in the UAAP Season 86 women's volleyball tournament on Sunday, Mar. 3, at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The Golden Tigresses remain on top as the only unscathed squad in the women's division, boasting a 4-0 record, their best start since Season 73.

Fiery rookie Angge Poyos carried the scoring load for the Tigresses with 24 points off of 21 attacks, while Margaret Banagua chimed in with 15 markers and four blocks.

Regina Jurado and key reserve Xyza Gula racked up 13 points each. Meanwhile, Jonna Perdido notched 10 points and Cassie Carballo piled up eight markers and 25 excellent sets to avert their first loss.

Another key contributor off the bench was Mae Coronado, who did not step foot in the first three games, pitched in eight points and three blocks.

On the other front, Chenie Tagaod and Jean Asis produced 15 apiece for the Lady Tamaraws, while Faida Bakanke provided 11 points in the losing effort.

UST succumbed to 40 total errors in the entire game, the most by any team this season, with half of them mainly from service errors.

Leading by a point, 22-21, a 4-0 blitz by the Lady Tamaraws was just enough for FEU to snatch the first set, 22-25.

A comfortable five-point cushion by UST at the second frame, 12-7, vanished when a 14-5 run by the Lady Tamaraws and late errors forced the Tigresses to trail by two sets, 21-25.

UST was on the verge of yielding their first defeat of the season before major bench spark plugs in Gula and Coronado kept the Tigresses alive in a tightly contested third set, 25-23.

The Tigresses paced the attack department in the fourth set with their 19 attacks, in contrast to FEU’s eight, to force a deciding fifth set, 25-20.

A shift of momentum in the fifth frame catapulted UST to a blazing hot 8-2 start and ended with a 15-7 victory, punctuated by consecutive Gula hits to complete the comeback.

For Tigresses’ head coach Emilio ‘Kungfu’ Reyes, key takeaways from this game include giving opportunities to the second stringers that can fill up for the starters’ off-nights and ignite energy for the rest of the team.

“‘Pag nabigyan [sila] ng opportunity, ibibigay [nila] ‘yung [kanilang] grit and all, [and] kung ano ang nagkukulang, ‘yung mga nag-fill up ay nakakadagdag [ng enjoyment and energy],” Reyes told after the matchup.

The UST Golden Tigresses are set to face the Ateneo Lady Eagles on Saturday, Mar. 9, at the same venue.