A month has passed since the DLSU Green Spikers last succumbed to a defeat, which they suffered at the hands of powerhouse Ateneo Blue Egales in the inaugural Spikers’ Turf collegiate tournament. Tomorrow at 3pm, the Taft-based squad will attempt to extend their winning streak against the resilient National College of Business and Arts (NCBA) Wildcats in their first Spikers’ Turf quarterfinals match at the Arena in San Juan.
Green Spiker Arjay Onia has been a major contributor to La Salle’s four-game winning streak after bagging Player of the Game honors in their last three outings. Against UP, Onia had compiled an impressive 25 points off 20 spikes, three blocks, and two service aces.
Assisting Onia is team captain Raymark Woo, who has been a consistent contributor to the Spikers’ victories and was the only other Green Spiker to be named Player of the Game in the tournament thus far during their first win over the Arellano University Chiefs last July 22.
On the other hand, the Wildcats, whose recent victory over the UE Red Warriors last Wednesday came after two consecutive losses, will try to start a streak of their own in tomorrow’s quarterfinal. Reyson Fuentes of NCBA tallied a game-high 12 points to lead his team, followed by fellow skippers Jason Canlas and Jonel Oclima, who had finished with 11 apiece.
Wildcats head coach Ernesto Balubar has been constantly encouraging his squad by telling them to keep their spirits up and urging them to continue to do their best even when the odds are stacked against them.
A crucial aspect for both teams in tomorrow’s game would be keeping errors to a minimum. Both DLSU and NCBA are equally capable of mounting a comeback so neither a great start nor a huge lead would secure a set, much less a match. The Wildcats must be wary of the recent performance of Onia, while DLSU must avoid succumbing to complacency.
Expect an exciting exchange between two teams whose situations greatly differ, with one riding behind a streak of four victories and the other trying to build off its recent success. In the end, both are pursuing the same goal, which is to be one step closer to the semifinals.
