UAAP: Lady Spikers outplay Adamson, win in straight sets

The DLSU Lady Spikers further extended their winning streak at the expense of the AdU Lady Falcons, winning in straight sets, 25-13, 25-15, 25-17. With the win, La Salle improves to 12-1 in the women’s volleyball standings and they remain at second place behind the ADMU Lady Eagles.

Team Captain Ara Galang led La Salle in the straight-set victory, finishing with a game-high 20 points with 18 attacks and 10 digs. Desiree Cheng also came out with big numbers in today’s match, earning 13 points, including nine attacks and two aces.

Meanwhile, Mylene Paat carried the scoring load for Adamson, notching 11 points in the losing effort.

The first set saw a dominant force from the Lady Spikers, easily establishing an early 8-2 lead before the first technical time out. Everything seemed in favor of La Salle throughout the set, as the Lady Falcons conceded nine straight points midway. This gave the Lady Spikers a huge 24-11 advantage, ultimately dictating the outcome of the set. A strong spike from Ara Galang finished the set at a 25-13 scoreline in favor of the green-and-white.

The second set saw a similar story, with the Lady Spikers gaining an early advantage after scoring consecutive points. A double block by Mika Reyes and Cheng gave La Salle a 12-7 lead in the set, sparking another series of offensive opportunities for the Taft-based squad. Adamson tried to slowly trim their deficit with three straight points, but an easy tip by Kim Fajardo, which placed DLSU at a 19-12 lead, halted the Lady Falcons’ momentum. Afterwards, consecutive attacks from Galang and Reyes allowed La Salle to further stretch their advantage, wrapping up the second set to their favor at 25-15.

The Lady Spikers began the third set with a 5-0 lead courtesy of Fajardo’s back-to-back aces and a point from Cheng. At this tempo, the Lady Spikers were eager to finish the match with a sweep. AdU sought to fight back, however, scoring three straight points to force the set’s first deadlock at 6-6. It became a see-saw battle since then, until two consecutive points from Cyd Demecillo and Reyes gave La Salle a 15-13 lead. The Lady Spikers remained in control for the rest of the match as they disallowed AdU to stay within reach. Timely attacks from Cheng and Galang armed the Lady Spikers’ with necessary points to finish the third set and complete a three-set sweep, 25-17.

Next up for the Lady Spikers is the crucial match against Ateneo, whom they will face on February 18 at the Mall of Asia Arena. A win for the Lady Spikers in the said match would mean that the tournament shall follow the usual Final Four format for the semifinals. Otherwise, a win for the Lady Eagles would result to a stepladder semi-finals and a thrice-to-beat advantage for Ateneo.