UNIVERSITY of the East scored its breakthrough win in the UAAP Season 85 women's volleyball tournament at the expense of University of the Philippines, 16-25, 25-21, 26-24, 19-25, 15-12, Wednesday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
The Lady Warriors ended their 12-game slump to force a tie for seventh at 1-12 with the Fighting Maroons, who suffered their 10th straight defeat.
UE also broke a 17-match skid against UP. The former last won back on January 15, 2012 via straight sets, 25-20, 25-21, 25-21.
"Yun nga wala na kasing pressure. All season long hindi kami nakakapaglaro nang maayos, hindi nailalabas yung kung ano yung meron kasi kaya namang sumabay. Siguro since latter part na ng season, ang sinasabi na lang lagi kahit sila mismo, ienjoy para malabas yung kung ano yung meron kasi nandoon naman," said Lady Warriors head coach Ronwald Dimaculangan.
UP bounced back after UE escaped in the third set, opening the fourth with a huge 17-5 lead that enabled them to force a decider, 25-19.
With the Lady Warriors ahead by just a point, Riza Nogales drilled a quick kill before Ja Lana scored easily for the match point. Steph Bustrillo got one back for UP with a drop ball but Lana went crosscourt in the ensuing play for the win.
KC Cepada rallied UE with 19 points, including two blocks, and 14 digs while fellow rookie Van Bangayan netted 15 points and 17 digs.
Lana also dropped 10 points, three in the fifth frame, while they also got help from UP's 38 errors.
Bustrillo led the Fighting Maroons charge with 21 points on 17 attacks, two blocks, and two aces, while Niña Ytang added 14 points of her own.
UE will wrap up its schedule on Saturday against league-leading De La Salle University, while UP will end on Sunday against University of Santo Tomas.