MANILA, Philippines – A team raring to bounce back from a loss runs into a team surging with momentum when the defending champion De La Salle University take on University of Santo Tomas (UST) in the Final 4 of the UAAP Season 79 women's volleyball tournament.

The Lady Spikers own a twice-to-beat advantage against the Tigresses, whom they beat in both elimination round matches this season.

Statistical comparison:

Here's how the two teams stack up against each other.

Season review:

The De La Salle Lady Spikers entered Season 79 as one of the favorites to win the women's volleyball crown, even though they lost several players from last year's championship team, including Ara Galang and Mika Reyes.

That's because setter Kim Fajardo opted to return for her final season of eligibility, giving the Lady Spikers a leader both on and off the court. Fajardo was the stabilizing presence for a relatively young La Salle squad all throughout the season, and she orchestrated an offense that ranked third in the league in efficiency.

La Salle shockingly lost to University of the Philippines (UP) in the first round, but avenged that defeat in the second round of the competition. Archrival Ateneo de Manila University remain the lone team they had yet to beat, but the Lady Spikers still cruised to the Final 4 with a twice-to-beat bonus.

Expectations were similarly high for the UST Tigresses. Now in their third season together, open hitters EJ Laure and Sisi Rondina combined to form a fearsome 1-2 punch for the España volleybelles, and they were ably backed up by players like Chloe Cortez and Ria Meneses.

The Tigresses found themselves locked in a four-team race for the last two spots in the Final 4 towards the end of the second round, and showed their tenacity by becoming the first team to secure a semis playoff with a win over UP.

Still, it was not until the last day of the eliminations that UST formally clinched its Final 4 spot, by coming back from two sets down to stun National University in a five-set classic. The Tigresses enter the Final 4 having won four of their last five games.

• PLAYER OF THE WEEK: EJ Laure of UST

Elimination round history:

Round 1, February 11, 2017

La Salle beats UST, 25-23, 16-25, 25-14, 25-22

The Tigresses took a set off the Lady Spikers when they met in the opening round, but shot themselves in the foot by committing 32 errors in the game. Kianna Dy led the way for the Lady Spikers with 16 points, and Tin Tiamzon added 14 markers. Rondina and Laure combined for 26 points in the loss.

Round 2, March 29, 2017

La Salle beats UST, 25-23, 25-22, 25-21

The Lady Spikers unloaded 11 service aces against the Tigresses en route to the straight sets win, with Kim Fajardo and Desiree Cheng each scoring from the service line three times. Rondina and Laure scored a combined 24 points this time around.

What they said:

"Hindi na kami magse-settle sa Final 4. Mangangarap na kami ng sobra-sobra." – UST coach Kungfu Reyes.

"(Sa Final 4) nagi-start talaga ang totoong laban. Kailangan, doon ka 'wag magpapatalo. Lahat ay gagawin namin para sa game na 'yun." – La Salle coach Ramil de Jesus.