The DLSU Lady Spikers fell short against the FEU Lady Tamaraws after losing in a gruelling five-set match, 15-25, 23-25, 25-23, 25-21, 16-14, earlier today at the Mall of Asia Arena. With the loss, they need to face the Lady Tamaraws again for the right to face Ateneo in the finals.
FEU’s Bernadeth Pons led all scorers after finishing with 22 points on 20 attacks and a block. Lady Tamaraw team captain Remy Palma also chipped in 18 points, followed by Toni Rose Basas, who had 17 points of her own. On the other hand, veteran player Kim Dy led the La Salle scorers with 20 points on 17 attacks and three blocks. Meanwhile, Ara Galang and Cyd Demecillo also chipped in 14 points each.
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Strong start
A close match ensued between the two teams early into the first set. At 7-all, La Salle started pulling away as they scored twice for every point FEU made to give themselves an eight-point lead, 17-9. DLSU kept their lead until the end of the set, with an open spike by Demecillo closing the set at 25-15, in favor of La Salle.
La Salle grabbed an early lead in the second set, 4-1, but errors incurred by DLSU put the Lady Tamaraws ahead, 5-4. The two teams stayed close with one another before the Lady Spikers eventually broke away and took a 19-15 lead. The Lady Tamaraws started chipping at the lead, eventually reaching a breakpoint at 21-all. DLSU, however, made a 4-2 run to end the set at 25-23 in their favor.
Endgame struggles
The Lady Spikers grabbed the lead at the start of the third set after making a 5-1 run. FEU immediately answered with four straight points to put them at breakpoint. However, La Salle responded with a 6-1 run afterwards to take the lead. Midway through the set, FEU scored five consecutive points to once again forge a tie with La Salle. The set progressed with the two teams trying to get ahead of one another. At 23-all, FEU scored back-to-back points from the efforts of Palma and Basas to win the set, 25-23.
The fourth set saw the Lady Tamaraws take an early lead as they made a 5-3 run. La Salle tied the set at 5-all but FEU immediately scored consecutive points to take a 7-5 lead. DLSU tried to reach breakpoint once again but the Lady Tamaraws defended their lead throughout the set. Eventually, FEU took the fourth set with a strong attack from Pons, 25-21.
Galang opened the scoring in the fifth set with a strong down-the-line spike. However, the Lady Tamaraws went on a 3-1 run on Palma’s attack and service ace. The two teams traded points afterwards, with neither team letting the other get a big advantage. Eventually, FEU won the fifth and final set after scoring consecutive points from La Salle’s errors, 16-14.
In terms of team statistics, La Salle outperformed the Lady Tamaraws in the scoring categories with 63 attacks, 10 blocks, and three aces against FEU’s 59 attacks, two blocks, and six aces. However, it was FEU scoring at crucial moments that helped them win the match.
The Lady Spikers will once again face the Lady Tamaraws in a do-or-die game on Wednesday, April 20, at 3:30 pm in the same venue to fight for the last spot in the championship round.
