A door was left ajar for the enemy the night before. National University stormed in and slammed it shut, consequently turning in a statement win even with just momentum—and a lot of school pride—to play for.

Already assured of the top seed and a twice-to-beat protection in the Final Four, the defending champions turned back University of Santo Tomas (UST), 23-25, 25-17, 25-18, 22-25, 15-9, in the UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball on Sunday, leaving their perennial victim to pick up the pieces.

The Golden Tigresses needed a win to secure the No. 2 seed and the other playoff bonus outright, but the top-ranked Lady Bulldogs weren’t letting a chance to warm up for the high-stakes stage go to waste.

“Even after getting tired and seeing [UST’s] determination, I didn’t see fear in my teammates,” skipper Bella Belen said shortly after the victory at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City that pushed her team’s record to 12-2 overall. “So, even after they stole the fourth set, I had no doubts we’d not lose in the fifth and win the game.”

“I think we have more to show. We don’t get tired of striving for improvement,” added fellow ace Alyssa Solomon. “It’s as if we’re chasing a certain standard.”

After falling short of marching straight to the semifinals with a win-once edge, the Tigresses will now have to battle La Salle in a one-game playoff this Wednesday at Mall of Asia Arena to determine who gets to flaunt the other coveted protection in the knockout stage.

Both finished at 9-5 and will play at least another game after the KO match, since they will still face each other in the semifinals.

The Bulldogs will face No. 4 Far Eastern in the other half of the Final Four.

After stumbling in the opening set, the Bulldogs put out one fire after another behind the heroics of Solomon and Belen. The latter was adjudged the finest of the game, but not without setting her sights on the next challenge that lay ahead: the surging Lady Tamaraws.

“I think we’ve learned our lesson. We had a chance to win the series in the first game,” said the reigning MVP after finishing with 26 points, referring to the Tams, who pushed them to the semis limit last season.

“Fortunately, we are still hungry,” Belen added.

Reg Jurado starred for the Golden Tigresses with 19 points, while Angge Poyos chipped in 15 more. Marga Altea and Mabeth Hilongo both added twin-digit scores.

Exiting on a high

Meanwhile, Adamson closed its season on a high note, dismantling University of the Philippines (UP), 25-13, 25-21, 25-18, earlier.

Battling for pride and laying the groundwork for next year, the Lady Falcons finished with a 6-8 record—a marked improvement from last season’s 3-11 mark.

Shaina Nitura, the record-shattering freshman, fired 22 points to pace Adamson and further strengthen her case for Rookie of the Year honors. Fellow newbies Felicity Sagaysay and Frances Mordi also turned in outings steeped with promise, ultimately helping the Falcons to a fifth-place finish over host UP, thanks to superior match points.

The Fighting Maroons, once a dark horse in the Final Four derby, settled for sixth after a campaign that still showed progress.

Kianne Olango and Irah Jaboneta came through for UP, which racked up five more wins to add to their haul last year. INQ