The University of Santo Tomas Golden Tigresses ended the first round with a loss against their Finals rivals, National University Lady Bulldogs, 25-23, 17-25, 25-19, 18-25, 9-15, in the UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball tournament on Sunday, March 16, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Golden Tigresses finished the first round with a 5-2 win-loss record and are tied with the De La Salle Lady Spikers at the second spot.

Reg Jurado paced UST with 16 points, 16 excellent digs, and nine receptions, while Angge Poyos was limited to 13 markers.

Cassie Carballo also stepped up in this see-saw battle, tallying 27 excellent sets and 10 points built on seven attacks, two blocks, and an ace.

Bianca Plaza knocked in two consecutive aces to ignite a 9-5 blitz and secure a three-point advantage for UST, 20-17.

Jurado registered three straight attacks to give the Golden Tigresses the first set, 25-23.

Margaret Altea and Poyos sparked a 4-0 rally in the early stages of the second canto, but the Lady Bulldogs unleashed a 13-3 run through the offensive firepower of Bella Belen, Alyssa Solomon, Vange Alinsug, Erin Pangilinan, and Sheena Toring to deny UST from securing a 2-0 edge, 17-25.

The third set saw UST bounce back from their shaky performance in the second salvo as they fired up a 12-4 blitz courtesy of Pia Abbu, Poyos, and Jurado.

NU’s late surge fell short as Poyos and Carballo logged in three consecutive conversions to secure a two-sets-to-one cushion, 25-19.

The Lady Bulldogs outmuscled the Golden Tigresses in the fourth frame, having the upper hand halfway through the set 14-20.

NU kept UST at bay and forced a tiebreaker after a trifecta of attacks by Solomon and Alinsug, 18-25.

The Golden Tigresses suffered a rough start in the final set, giving the Lady Bulldogs a 10-5 advantage.

The España-based squad tried to pounce back, but their rivals from Bustillos kept their composure as Solomon delivered the knockout blow, 9-15.

Solomon led the charge for NU with 24 points, while Belen and Alinsug contributed 19 and 17 markers, respectively, in the winning effort.

The Golden Tigresses will begin their second round campaign against the Adamson Lady Falcons on Wednesday, March 19, at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.