The University of Santo Tomas Golden Tigresses fell to the De La Salle University Lady Spikers in five sets, 25-15, 17-25, 26-24, 21-25, 14-16, in the UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball tournament on Saturday, March 29, at the Araneta Coliseum.

This was the first time UST lost to the Lady Spikers since 2023 where they also lost in five sets at the Season 85 opener.

Reg Jurado led the Golden Tigresses with 22 points built on 21 attacks and a block while Angge Poyos finished with 12 points following the loss.

Jurado and the Tigresses pounced right out of the gate as their attacks along with errors from the Lady Spikers gave them a six-point lead by the first technical timeout, 16-10.

Middle blocker Em Banagua was forced to exit the game after suffering an apparent injury on her finger during the set.

Continuous attacks from Beth Hilongo and Jurado helped UST inflate their lead to 10, 24-14, while a backrow kill from Hilongo ended the set, 25-15.

Angel Canino and Alleiah Malaluan came alive in the second canto to lift La Salle to an eight-point cushion by the second technical timeout, 8-16.

Attack errors from the Lady Spikers helped the Tigresses bring the lead down to six, 14-20, but an attack error from UST and a service ace from DLSU veteran Jyne Soreño sealed the set, 17-25.

UST turned an early 4-7 deficit into a five-point cushion off the efforts of a 6-1 run fueled by Jurado, Hilongo and Pia Abbu, 17-12.

The Lady Spikers rallied back with an 8-3 run fueled by the attacking prowess of Canino to tie the match at the 20-all mark.

A block from Hilongo followed by an off-the-block kill from Poyos helped UST come out of the extended third-set brawl, 26-24.

DLSU broke a 9-9 deadlock after Malaluan sparked a 4-0 run to give the Lady Spikers a four-point lead, 10-14

The Lady Spikers remained firm in their lead and forced a fifth set off an attack from Provido and a service ace from Micole Reyes, 20-25.

Both schools were tied at the seven-all mark of the fifth set when an attacking error from the Tigresses gave DLSU the lead at the changeover point, 7-8.

The rubber match turned into an all out brawl with neither team giving up ground.

A finish from Shevanna Laput and a block from Amie Provido ultimately ended the match, 14-16.

Canino showed up when the Lady Spikers needed her the most as she tallied 27 points built on 24 attacks, two blocks, and a service ace.

Laput also racked up 16 markers while Provido and Malaluan scored 12 and 10 points respectively.

The Golden Tigresses now have a 5-4 win-loss record and are set to face the Adamson Lady Falcons on Wednesday, April 2, in the same venue.