The DLSU Lady Spikers return to the win column as they dominated the undefeated NU Lady Bulldogs in straight sets, 29-27, 25-16, 25-21. With the win, La Salle is tied with the ADMU Lady Eagles and the Lady Bulldogs for second place with a 3-1 record.
DLSU found the offense it needed after struggling in their first three games despite their defense. Aduke Ogunsanya broke out and recorded 11 points on six attacks and five blocks. Tin Tiamzon led the team from Taft in scoring, scoring 17 points on 12 attacks. Jaja Santiago led the Lady Bulldogs in the losing effort, recording 13 points on 11 attacks, one block, and a service ace.
“Sa mindset ko lang, bawi. For every error that I made, I made sure [that] I made two more points,” said Tiamzon on her performance.
Finding rhythm
The first set was a rather tedious one for both teams as multiple errors plagued both sides early on. La Salle jumped to a quick 5-1 lead, but NU eventually equalized at 8-all, thanks to errors committed by the Green-and-White. It was apparent the Santiago intimidated DLSU’s offense early on, but NU’s first set performance can be attributed to consistent tip-ins by Sato and solid offensive effort by Jorelle Singh.
After the first technical timeout, with both teams locked at 11-all, the Lady Spikers gave easy giveaway points to their opponents after committing four vital errors. Lack of communication proved to be a factor in the first set as the Lady Spikers committed simultaneous attacking and receiving errors.
With both teams tied at 27-all after a service error by Tiamzon, coach Ramil De Jesus sent Michelle Cobb in for Kim Dy and the rookie quickly delivered off the bench with a service ace. Baron followed with a block in the next sequence to give La Salle the first set, 29-27.
Fluid offense
NU, keen on jumping to a good start to try and equalize, went for an early 3-1 lead in the second set. La Salle quickly switched their offense on which caught the Lady Bulldogs off guard. A cross court kill by Dy unprecedentedly sparked a 9-0 run by the Lady Spikers, led by Dy who finished with nine points on seven attacks.
Ogunsaya surprised the NU offense, recording three blocks, the first of which was a single block against Santiago. Her great read on the Lady Bulldogs’ attacks as well as her timing typified her team’s effort defensively. Compared to their previous games, the second set showcased the potential offense the Lady Spikers possess as their hitters began to capitalize on Kim Fajardo’s playmaking as she recorded all of the team’s 41 excellent sets. In addition, Desiree Cheng found her rhythm offensively as she added in six points. The Lady Spikers did not look back and finished the second set, 25-16, after grabbing the early lead.
DLSU failed to carry its momentum early in the third set as the Lady Spikers looked rattled after failing to receive the Lady Bulldogs’ services multiple times. Despite her inconsistency in the first two sets, however, Tiamzon exploded in the third set. As NU attempted to come back, Tiamzon prevented their opponents with her stellar offense.
“I think we just focused on winning this game. We wanted to make a statement na makakabawi kami,” said the sophomore on today’s result.
The Lady Spikers will look to add another win to their record as they face the AdU Lady Flacons on Wednesday, February 22, at 4 pm in the FilOil Flying V Centre.
The scores
DLSU 79– Tiamzon 17, Ogunsanya 11, Dy 9, Baron 7, Cheng 6, Fajardo 5, Luna 1, Cobb 1
NU 64– Santiagio 13, Doria 8, Singh 5, Sato 4, Nabor 1
