UAAP: Lady Spikers look to clinch finals berth against FEU

With a twice-to-beat advantage tucked under their belts, the DLSU Lady Spikers enter the Final Four facing a familiar foe in the FEU Lady Tamaraws, whom they will take on tomorrow, April 17, at 3:30 pm in the Mall of Asia Arena.

Morale-boosting season finales

After losing to the Ateneo Lady Eagles last Sunday, the Lady Spikers bounced back after they defeated the NU Lady Bulldogs in four sets, 25-14, 21-25, 25-19, 25-15, last Wednesday, April 13, at the FilOil Arena. Kim Dy finished with a career-high 25 points on 15 attacks, five blocks, and five service aces to lead the La Salle scorers. MaJoy Baron also chipped in 13 points on 10 spikes and three blocks, while Mika Reyes scored 10 points on four aces.

Similarly, the Lady Tamaraws closed their second round with a win against the AdU Lady Falcons in a four-set match, 25-23, 25-22, 20-25, 28-26. It was Bernadeth Pons who led FEU after scoring 19 points on 18 attacks and a block. Jerrili Malabanan also added 11 points on 8 attacks and three aces, while team captain Remy Palma and Toni Rose Basas contributed 10 points each.

Early encounters

During the first round, La Salle ended the match early as they beat the Lady Tamaraws in straight sets, 29-27, 25-23, 25-20. Reyes was adjudged the Best Scorer of the Game after scoring 13 points on 12 attacks. On the other hand, Basas spearheaded FEU with 13 points on 12 spikes as well.

In the second round, FEU managed to stretch the game to five sets, grabbing the third and fourth sets after losing the first two. However, it was DLSU who prevailed in the end as they took the final set to win the match, 25-14, 25-9, 22-25, 19-25, 15-7. This time, Ara Galang was named Player of the Game after finishing with 13 points, while Dy, Baron, and Cyd Demecillo added 14, 13, and 12 points, respectively. On the FEU side, Pons scored a game-high 23 points on 20 spikes. Basas also chipped in 14 points, while Palma ended the game with 11 points.

Expect an exciting match on Sunday as the two teams try to overpower one another in pursuit of their respective goals, with the Lady Spikers aiming for an early ticket to the finals while the Lady Tamaraws look to overcome La Salle’s twice-to-beat advantage.