UAAP: Lady Spikers advance to semifinals, Green Spikers finish with 1-7 record

The elimination round of the UAAP Season 78 Beach Volleyball tournament, which was held last October 9 to 11 and 16 to 17 at SM Sands by the Bay, was bittersweet for the DLSU Green Spikers and DLSU Lady Spikers as both teams had their fair share of wins and losses.

Last year’s runner-ups, Kim Fajardo and Cyd Demecillo, finished the eliminations with a 5-2 record. The DLSU Green Spikers, represented by Carlo Sendo, Cris Dumago, and Levin Dimayuga, ended at 1-6, an improvement from finishing winless in Season 77.

First-day jitters

The Green Spikers played against the UE Red Warriors in their first match of the tournament. Capitalizing on the numerous errors made by UE, La Salle won the match in three sets, 21-10, 19-21, 15-13.

Meanwhile, the Lady Spikers dropped their opening match against the FEU Lady Tamaraws in three sets, 21-15, 17-21, 17-15. DLSU took the lead early in the first set but the Lady Tamaraws went on a 7-0 run that put them in control and won them the set. The Lady Spikers bounced back in the second set, but FEU was able to slip past La Salle in the third set to win the match.

After the defeat, La Salle quickly secured a win against the UP Lady Maroons in straight sets, 21-14, 21-15. DLSU immediately took charge of the first set, winning it after stretching their lead to as many as seven points. The beginning of the second set saw UP closely trailing the Lady Spikers but La Salle pulled away with an 8-3 run, putting the scores at 18-13. Keeping their distance from the Lady Maroons, DLSU ended the match in their favor, 21-15.

Second day struggles

On the second day of the tournament, the Green Spikers failed to follow up their win as they were handed their first loss of the season by the FEU Tamaraws in a three-set match. FEU started strong, quickly taking the first set with a score of 21-9. The second set, however, went to La Salle, 21-18. The Tamaraws emerged as the winners as they finished the third and final set on top, 15-13.

After losing to FEU, La Salle took on archrivals Ateneo, who were represented by Ysay Marasigan and Marck Espejo. The first set was tightly fought until the Blue Eagles pulled away with a 6-0 run that gave them a 15-9 lead and eventually helped them win the set, 21-18. Both teams started the second set strong but the Blue Eagles were too much for the Green Spikers to handle as DLSU lost the set and the match, 21-16.

Similarly, the Lady Spikers’ game against the Adamson Lady Falcons ended in two sets, with the latter winning the match. The first set saw an exchange in power and smart plays between the two teams. However, costly errors from La Salle gave the first set to the Lady Falcons, 21-14. The Lady Spikers were able to find their rhythm in the second set by minimizing their errors but several runs by Adamson prevented DLSU from gaining the lead, thus handing the Lady Falcons the set and the match, 21-18.

Mixed results

The Green Spikers suffered their third loss in the tournament at the hands of Adamson, 21-10, 21-14. It was a lopsided match, with half of the Green Spikers’ first set points coming from their opponent’s errors. Although they were able to improve in the second set, it was still not enough to hold off the Falcons.

In their second game of the day against UST’s Anthony Arbasto and Kris Guzman, the Green Spikers faltered in straight sets, 21-12, 21-14. UST grabbed an early lead in the first set with a 3-1 run. As the set progressed, the gap between the two teams widened. The Green Spikers fought head-to-head with the Growling Tigers at the beginning of the second set. However, midway through the match, UST went on a 4-1 run, shifting the game to their side and eventually winning the match.

On the other hand, the Lady Spikers bounced back with a win over Angelica Dacaymat and Judith Abil from UE, 21-10, 21-9, after suffering a loss to Adamson in the previous day. La Salle was fired up from the get-go, forcing their opponents to commit errors that allowed them to clinch the first set. They continued to dominate the game as they went on a 6-0 run in the second set, preventing UE from building up any momentum.

The Lady Spikers extended their winning streak as they snatched another win against then-tournament leader Ateneo in a three-set match, 12-21, 21-16, 15-12. UAAP MVP Alyssa Valdez and Bea Tan swiftly took control of the first set. However, La Salle slowly found their bearings in the second set as they collected points with good ball placements, eventually taking the set. In the third set, a close match was played by the teams, with the Lady Eagles taking an 11-9 lead in the set. However, it was DLSU who triumphed in the end as they finished the set with a 6-1 run that earned them the win.

Playing against the Bulldogs

Unable to get the upper hand on the NU Bulldogs, the Green Spikers took their sixth loss of the season. The Bulldogs, represented by Madzlan Gampong and Bryan Bagunas, took the first set with their strong attacks, 21-18. Early in the second set, the Green Spikers acquired a three-point advantage but the Bulldogs pulled away from DLSU. La Salle was unable to close the gap and eventually, the Bulldogs scored six consecutive points to end the set and match, 21-12.

After their victory over Ateneo, the Lady Spikers won over the struggling NU Lady Bulldogs in straight sets, 26-24, 21-13. NU took an early 4-1 lead and DLSU trailed in the first set until the Lady Spikers went on a 4-0 run to get themselves back into the game. The Lady Bulldogs continued to attack relentlessly but DLSU held them off with efficiency, winning the first set. It was a close battle in the second set with both teams trading attacks, but in the middle of the set, Cyd Demecillo went on a solo 5-0 run, with four points coming from service aces, giving DLSU a 16-8 lead. NU retaliated with a 3-0 run, but it was not enough to hold off Demecillo, who scored nine of La Salle’s last 10 points, helping DLSU secure a 21-13 set win.

Paths diverged

The Green Spikers squared off against the UP Fighting Maroons for the sixth position in the standings. DLSU won the first set, 21-16, with the help of their strong offense and UP’s errors. In the second set, the Fighting Maroons turned the tables by picking DLSU’s defense apart with their attacks. The Green Spikers were able to hold their ground for most of the set but a late game surge by UP helped them take a 21-14 set win. DLSU grabbed a 9-6 lead in the third set but a 4-0 run by Alfred Valbuena gave UP the lead. From there, the Fighting Maroons didn’t look back and eventually won the set, 15-12, placing them at sixth and DLSU at seventh.

The match between the Lady Spikers and last year’s champions, the UST Growling Tigresses, ended after three long and grueling sets. Led by Cherry Rondina and Rika Rivera, UST took the first set, 21-19. Following their first set loss, the Lady Spikers secured the second set, 22-20. The last set was a close match between the two teams but La Salle won the set with a service ace from Fajardo, ending the match with a score of 16-14.

With their elimination round record of 5-2, the Lady Spikers advance to the semifinals and will face the ADMU Lady Eagles for a third time to compete for a ticket to the finals on Wednesday, October 21, at 8 am in the SM Sands by the Bay. The morning’s winner will later on play top-seed FEU for the Season 78 championship at 9 am.