The DLSU Lady Spikers won the team’s fourth victory at the expense of the NU Lady Bulldogs last December 19, at the Arena in San Juan.
Seniors Michelle Gumabao and Abi Maraño showed their leadership combining for 17 points.
Head Coach Ramil De Jesus commended,“Actually nung third set makikita mo pa nga na seniors yung nagservice error. Sabi ko sa kanila hindi dapat mangyari kasi seniors kayo. Para lumayo momentum natin hindi dapat natin putulin ‘ yung momentum. So dapat sa mga seniors kayo ‘yung mga nagiging role model inside and outside the court,”
Meanwhile, Sophomores Ara Galang and Mika Reyes made their regular contributions. Galang ended the game with eight points whileReyes tallied seven.
National U Team Captain Aleona Santiago led her squad with 12 points in 41 attempts while Myla Pablo and Siemen Dadang had two blocks apiece.
Whole game aggressiveness
With a late game run led by NU Team Captain Aleona Santiago, Maraño iced the game for good, making consecutive spikes that penetrated the defense of the Lady Bulldogs to end the final set, 25-19.
Coach De Jesus added,“Iyon talaga ang strength ng NU, talagang si Dindin [Santiago], more or less 90 percent sa kanya ang mga attack. Sinabi ko na dapat bantayan kasi mataas ang percentage niya na pumatay ng bola.”
La Salle made a good opening run as the team capitalized on the errors of the opposition. Mika Reyes opened a blocking spree, which gave the team an opportunity to take the, 8-6, lead.
After the first technical timeout, the defending champion ignited a 17-4 run to end the opening set convincingly with a 25-12 scorecard.
Despite facing an early, 3-6, deficit, the team’s momentum carried on to the second set. Gumabao quickly made her presence felt by attacking the defense of the Lady Bulldogs with a series of spikes and drop balls.
Cyd Demicillo also joined in, scoring the last three points of the team to end the second set, 25-19.
Coach De Jesus explained,“Actually sinabi ko na dapat tapusin natin ng mas maaga kasi halos lahat ng team nahirapan. Kapag nastraight sets mo yung kalaban parang iba yung dating sa mga ibang teams nun eh dahil sila nahirapan.”
Emerging in every aspect of the game
Of the 85 attack attempts the Lady Spikers made, 29 went into the floor while the Lady Bulldogs only made 20 out of 82 attempts.
DLSU is leading the league in blocking, but NU is not far behind. In this game, however, the Lady Spikers managed to edge out the Lady bulldogs in blocking, 8-6, proving that they are the best blocking team in the league.
The biggest difference in the game was the unforced errors of both squads. La Salle capitalized on NU’s 33 errors while the defending champion only committed 19 mistakes.
Final tests
With five games of the first round elimination done in 2012, two more await the Lady Spikers next year. They are set to meet UP on January 6 and duel against last year’s bridesmaid, Ateneo, on January 12.
With a slew of top-caliber teams facing the defending champion next year, Coach De Jesus stressed that his players must have the confidence in themselves to help them win games.
