UAAP: NU sweeps Lady Spikers, do-or-die set

The DLSU Lady Spikers failed to make a quick entry to the UAAP finals as they lost their first game in the stepladder semifinals against the resilient NU Lady Bulldogs in straight sets, 25-20, 25-20, 25-19, last March 4 at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

Sophomore Jaja Santiago and veteran Myla Pablo led the Lady Bulldogs with 13 points apiece while Jorelle Singh and Rizza Mandapat contributed 11 and 10 points respectively.

On the other hand, Lady Spikers team captain Ara Galang led the scoring for DLSU with 14 points while Cyd Demecillo added 10 points. With today’s loss, La Salle lost their twice-to-beat advantage and will face NU once again on March 7 in a winner-take-all match that will determine the opponents of defending champions ADMU Lady Eagles in the finals.

The Lady Spikers struggled early in the first set as they committed series of errors and were unable to keep up with NU’s solid offense. Coverage was lacking on La Salle’s side while points were well distributed for the Lady Bulldogs.

NU led by as much as eight points, 18-10, after scoring a service ace through Jocelyn Soliven. The Taft-based squad tried to cut the score to four, 22-18, courtesy of the efforts of Ara Galang, Mika Reyes and Cyd Demecillo.

However, the Lady Bulldogs stopped La Salle’s offense late in the set to take the first set, 25-20. The start of the second set was a close match between the two squads until NU pulled away with a 6-2 run, highlighted by Desiree Dadang’s blocking, to give them a four point advantage, 18-14.

La Salle tried to catch up with two straight points, 22-20, but the Lady Bulldogs’ blocking was very effective and became a thorn for DLSU. NU scored through an attack by Santiago and finally ended the set with back-to-back blocks, 25-20.

The Lady Spikers couldn’t get out of their rough situation and opened the third set down by five points, 6-1. La Salle tried to slowly catch up to NU and took a two point lead, 13-11. DLSU’s offense and coverage continued to struggle while the Lady Bulldogs remain on top, 18-16.

There were no signs of redemption for the Lady Spikers as NU scored four straight points to complete their sweep of the Taft-based squad, 25-19. This is the first time in the season that the Lady Bulldogs won against La Salle.

Moreover, this is also the first time for new NU head coach Roger Gorayeb to win against DLSU head coach Ramil De Jesus’ squad since Season 74 when he was still the coach of the ADMU Lady Eagles.

The winner-take-all match between DLSU and NU will be on Saturday, March 7, 4 pm, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. The victor of the said match will advance to the finals to face the thrice-to-beat Lady Eagles on March 11 at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.