UAAP: Lady Spikers seek fourth straight win against reeling Adamson

Before they head into the Holy Week break, the DLSU Lady Spikers have one last assignment to tackle when they face the Adamson Lady Falcons tomorrow, March 20, at 3:30 pm in the PhilSports Arena, Pasig City.

Currently tied for first place with Ateneo with an 8-2 win-loss record, the Lady Spikers could inch closer to clinching a final-four berth with a victory over their opponents. The Lady Falcons, on the other hand, are struggling to stay alive in the tournament with a 3-7 record, good for seventh place in the team standings.  

Contrasting starts

The Lady Spikers have been on a roll recently. They won their first three games to start the second round, with the last one coming against the UP Lady Maroons, 18-25, 25-12, 25-18, 25-21.

Despite falling into a one-set deficit to start the match, La Salle blazed through the last three sets to steal the game away from this year’s hosts. Kim Dy and Mika Reyes scored 14 points apiece, while Ara Galang added 12 to carry much of the scoring load for DLSU. However, it was Kim Fajardo who earned Player of the Game honors after dishing out 32 excellent sets.

Meanwhile, the Sampaloc-based squad is off to a bad start after losing all three of their second round matches. Their most recent result was a heartbreaking five-set loss to the UST Golden Tigresses, 25-21, 17-25, 20-25, 25-23, 15-12.

EJ Laure and Cherry Rondina torched the Lady Falcons with a combined 42 points for the Tigresses. On the other end, May Roque scored 21 points while Jessica Galanza had 17 to lead Adamson in the losing effort.

Lopsided first round meeting

In their match-up during the first round, the Lady Spikers defeated the Adamson Lady Falcons in straight sets, 25-13, 25-13, 25-16.

MaJoy Baron was adjudged the Player of the Game after finishing with nine points on five attacks, three aces, and a block. Meanwhile, Galang led all scorers with a game-high 10 points, followed by Fajardo, who scored nine points of her own. On the other hand, Roque led the charge for Adamson, finishing with nine points from eight attacks and a block.

La Salle showed its dominance throughout the game, not letting the Lady Falcons get the upper hand in any of the sets. There was a close match early into the first set before the Lady Spikers pulled away and captured the set with 12-point margin, 25-13. The second set saw DLSU holding the lead for most of the set, letting Adamson reach only one breakpoint, but in the end, the Lady Spikers won the set, 25-13. The third set was similar to the previous one, with La Salle emerging as the victors of the set and match at 25-16.

In the team statistics, DLSU outperformed Adamson with 36 attacks, 10 blocks, and 14 aces, while incurring 20 unforced errors. Meanwhile, the Lady Falcons finished with 18 attacks, two blocks, two aces, and 15 errors.

Though both teams enter this game with contrasting predicaments, a DLSU win could spell the difference between a spot in the Final Four and a chance at the crucial twice-to-beat advantage. Despite being quite far from the last spot in the Final Four, the Adamson Lady Falcons stand to gain a lot from a victory as well, as both teams look to boost their chances and confidence as they head into the final stretch of games.