UAAP: Upsets rock volleyball but seeds top women caging

Shockers marked the resumption of UAAP Season 68 women’s volleyball action Sunday at the University of the Philippines gym in Diliman while the seeds in women’s basketball booked expected wins at the Adamson U gym in San Marcelino.

Adamson University served notice of its strength in women’s volleyball by stunning a listless defending champion De La Salle in a one-hour, 11-minute encounter, 25-20, 25-23, 13-25, 20-25, 15-13, for the Lady Falcons’ second straight win and the Green Archers’ second loss in two outings.

Santo Tomas U, runner-up last season, continued to miss the services of its stalwarts who have graduated, and took its second straight setback this time at the hands of UP, 25-22, 25-16, 10-25, 17-25, 15-10.

Joining UP with a 2-0 card were the University of the East Red Skirts, who beat the Ateneo Lady Eagles, 25-18, 25-22, 23-25, 26-24, and the Far Eastern Lady Tamaraws, who downed National U, 25-6, 25-15, 25-11.

Defending men’s volleyball titlist FEU beat Adamson, 25-19, 14-25, 25-18, 20-25, 16-14, for a 2-0 record, the same slate as UP, a 25-20, 25-22, 25-18 winner over UE. The other men’s volleyball results saw UST defeat Ateneo, 25-10, 25-15, 25-8, and De La Salle down NU, 25-23, 25-22, 25-22.

Adamson U made mincemeat of UE, 79-42, putting the Lady Falcons on track to defending their women’s basketball crown. Merenciana Arayi topscored with 21 points and hauled down 12 rebounds, Jenalyn Constantino had 15 points and five rebounds and Uniza Cenita 12 for the Lady Falcons.

Ateneo, second-placer last year, had nine players suiting up against FEU also in women’s basketball but still wound up with a 41-38 squeaker with Stephanie Lee Villanueva shooting 13 and Christine Chua 10 for the Lady Eagles.

In the other women’s basketball match, UP won by default over De La Salle, 2-0.

The UAAP, meanwhile, announced the scheduled matches for Aug. 4 and 6 originally scheduled at the Blue Eagle Gym on Katipunan will be played at the Araneta Coliseum instead. This is to provide a bigger venue for the basketball competitions which are commanding bigger audience lately.