MANILA—It was joy and anguish for University of Santo Tomas at the start of the UAAP volleyball championships yesterday, but the mixed results hardly mattered as the school marked another milestone in the country’s most prestigious varsity meet.

The Tigers took a step toward a fourth straight men’s crown by opening the championship series with a victory against Far Eastern U while the Tigresses again fell short against the La Salle Lady Archers when a key player succumbed to an injury at the height of their rally in the fourth set.

Notwithstanding the final volleyball results, Santo Tomas had the UAAP general championship for the 13th straight year in the bag with its 32-point overall edge (262-230) over second-running La Salle already unassailable.

The Tigers won Game 1 against the Tamaraws, 20-25, 25-23, 25-23, 25-23, while the Lady Archers hammered out a 25-18, 25-20, 19-25, 16-25, 15-10 squeaker over the Tigresses at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

John Paul Torres made up for his subpar performance with two crucial hits in the fourth set to finish with 11 markers and keep UST within a win of a “four-peat” in the men’s division.

The Tigresses, who have never defeated the Lady Archers this season, will need to dig deep to forge a decider against the Lady Archers with top gunner Maru Banaticla unlikely to play in the next game.

Banaticla served as the offensive spark that the Tigresses sorely lacked in the first two sets, providing smart plays and instant points.

But after punching in four straight markers midway in the fourth set, Banaticla cramped up, sending UST’s spearhead screaming and grimacing in pain on the floor.

La Salle took advantage in the deciding set as skipper Cha Cruz churned in back-to-back hits to give the Lady Archers a 13-9 edge before two errors by the Tigresses sealed the deal.

Five green shirts ended up with double digits anew, with Jacqueline Alarca leading the pack with 19 huge points.

La Salle head coach Ramil De Jesus admitted that Banaticla’s departure was the turning point of the game.

“If she (Banaticla) was in the game (until the end), it would have been a different story,” said De Jesus.

Banaticla, who minutes after the game was still unable to move, managed to knock in 19 points while Aiza Maizo had 20 for the Tigresses.

As leader in the overall race in the juniors division, UST seemed headed for a fifth straight double general championship. UST has won the seniors overall crown in the UAAP 25 times in the last 27 years.

Celest Flores, Phil. Daily Inquirer