In what was a do-or-die game for both teams, the DLSU Green Spikers could not avenge their loss to the NCBA Wildcats earlier in the quarterfinals as the latter ended the former’s Spikers’ Turf Collegiate Conference campaign in straight sets, 30-28, 31-29, 25-21, yesterday at the San Juan Arena.
Reyson Fuentes led the Wildcats with 13 points on five blocks, while Player of the Game Edwin Tolentino finished with 12 points, all of which came from spikes. Arjay Onia once again led DLSU with a game-high 14 points on 12 spikes, but the team struggled without team captain Raymark Woo, who sat out with an injury he sustained in their previous match against the EAC Generals.
The first set was a back-and-forth affair as both teams couldn’t distance themselves from one another. DLSU and NCBA traded points and took turns taking the lead throughout the set, an indication of how important and how intense this match would be despite the final score. In the end, the Wildcats broke a 28-all deadlock by scoring on two consecutive possessions, winning the set, 30-28.
La Salle would try to respond in the second set but NCBA continued to match their effort by scoring off DLSU’s turnovers. The set was another close affair between the two teams but the Wildcats were the more composed squad, placing enough distance between them and the Green Spikers to clinch the set, 31-29.
In the third set, La Salle attempted to pull off a comeback similar to what their opponents did in their previous game but by this set, NCBA had already figured DLSU out. The set remained close for the most part, but after the Wildcats entered the second technical timeout of the third set with a 16-15 lead, the Green Spikers couldn’t find their rhythm as NCBA won the set and the match, 25-21.
With Woo out, Onia continued to lead the Green Spikers but he had help from guest player Michael Zamora, who was the only other DLSU player to finish in double digits with 10 points. Rocky Honrade was the other guest player for La Salle but he only scored six points on two blocks. John Paul Domingo was the third Wildcat to finish in double figures, finishing with 11 points on 10 spikes. Errors were also not the issue for La Salle in this game, as they finished with 31 compared to NCBA’s 35.
With the loss, the Green Spikers will exit the Spikers’ Turf Collegiate Conference as the fifth best team in the quarterfinal round. The tournament produced mixed results as La Salle showed both their potential with the likes of Woo and Onia on the court, while at the same time, exposed the need for the others to consistently step up in the absence of their main cogs. With the second round sports set to begin in four months, the Green Spikers have ample time to cover the holes in their play before their UAAP season starts.
