UAAP: Lady Spikers drop four-set thriller against ADMU

The DLSU Lady Spikers dropped their final match of the elimination round against the ADMU Lady Eagles, 25-20, 21-25, 25-23, 27-25, earlier today at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Alyssa Valdez led all scorers in the match with a game-high of 29 points with 24 spikes, three aces, and two blocks. Meanwhile, it was Ara Galang who carried the scoring load for DLSU once again witn 20 points, including 17 spikes and eight digs.

ADMU’s Jhoana Maraguinot was hailed as the player of the match after notching 10 points off 10 attacks, including crucial scoring opportunities to give their team the victory.

With the loss, the Lady Spikers remain seated at second place, as they enter the stepladder semi-finals with a twice-to-beat advantage. Meanwhile, ADMU is armed with a thrice-to-beat edge after sweeping the season, 14-0.

The Lady Spikers started slow in the opening set. Conceding four quick points for the Lady Eagles, 4-0, La Salle saw themselves struggling to cut their deficit early on. Ateneo’s Valdez carried her team on her shoulders, as she scored majority of the points for the squad during the set. ADMU rode on this momentum, placing themselves at a 16-7 advantage on the second technical timeout. La Salle sought to recover, with Ateneo piling up with some errors. A block by Carol Cerveza against Vadez was almost pivotal for the Lady Spikers as they have already scored three straight points to trim their deficit to six, 16-10. Valdez took over the scoring duties once again, though, as the Lady Eagles continued to deny La Salle of forcing a deadlock. The first set eventually ended with a 25-20 scoreline in favor of the Lady Eagles.

The Lady Spikers showed a different rhythm in the second set. Although they allowed the Lady Eagles to gain the advantage after the first technical timeout, 8-6, a powerful offensive run courtesy of Galang and Mika Reyes allowed La Salle to steal the lead. A service ace by Kim Fajardo placed the scoring in favor of DLSU, 16-15, for the first time in the match. The Lady Spikers took hold of this lead for good, as the Taft-based squad capitalized on their attacking department to eventually seal the set at 25-20.

The early parts of the third set were favorable once again for the Lady Eagles. With a 5-2 lead to stun the Taft-based volleybelles, the Ateneo squad was eager to push the lead even further, as they focused most of their offensive opportunities to the streaking Valdez. The Lady Spikers were able to force their way back though, as errors on the part of ADMU, along with crucial hits by Galang kept La Salle trailing closely, 15-14. A cross-court hit by Valdez and an error on the part of La Salle pushed the ADMU lead to 20-17. However, the Ateneo offense slowed down in the next plays as three consecutive errors allowed La Salle to force a 22-22 deadlock. A crucial service error by Mika Reyes eventually cost the Lady Spikers the set, giving Ateneo the 25-23 victory.

It was a see-saw battle in the fourth set, with both squads taking turns in tasting the lead. Errors on the part of La Salle were costly for the squad, as these comprised majority of the Lady Eagles’ points early on. The Ateneo squad notched a slim 8-7 lead at the first technical timeout. But the succeeding plays proved to be yet another back-and-forth affair. A rotational error called on La Salle after Reyes went to the service line instead of Fajardo gave Ateneo an 11-10 lead midway. A Demecillo ace and a powerful Galang attack, however, gave the lead to the Lady Spikers once again, 17-15.

ADMU’s Maraguinot allowed the Lady Eagles to force a deadlock, 19-all, after a spike that was not deflected by the La Salle defense. Amy Ahimiro scored two straight crucial points in the following plays, placing ADMU on a 22-20 advantage. Despite the extensions though, the Lady Eagles eventually took the fourth set and the match, 27-25.