The DLSU Lady Spikers will seek a sweep in their elimination round series with the NU Lady Bulldogs in their matchup tomorrow, March 12, at 4 pm in the Smart Araneta Coliseum. La Salle will look to carry momentum from their strong second round opener, where they downed the FEU Lady Tamaraws, 25-5, 25-23, 25-23. The NU Lady Bulldogs, on the other hand, improved to a 5-3 record after sweeping the AdU Lady Falcons, 25-21, 25-20, 25-19.
Dominating matchups
The Lady Spikers routed FEU last Wednesday in dominant fashion following their loss against ADMU to end the first round. DLSU dismantled its opponents early on, cruising past the first set, 25-5. Desiree Cheng led the Green-and-White with 11 points on 11 attacks while Aduke Ogunsanya also pitched in 11 points on two blocks and five service aces.
Despite the beating La Salle gave its opponents in the first set, the Lady Tamaraws refused to give in as they fought back in the succeeding sets. DLSU managed to slip past the two remaining sets, 25-23, 25-23, en route to their sixth win of the season.
Vying for a Final Four slot, the NU Lady Bulldogs stood tall after a straight-set finish of last place AdU. The Lady Falcons stayed close during majority of the match, but were unable to contain the streaking Jaja Santiago. Santiago led the Lady Bulldogs with 15 points on 13 spikes and two blocks while Jessica Galanza led the struggling Lady Falcons with 15 points on 15 attacks in the losing effort.
Finishing things off
In their exciting first round match-up, the Lady Spikers trounced the then-undefeated Lady Bulldogs, 29-27, 25-16, 25-21. It was Ogunsanya’s breakout game as the sophomore recorded 11 points on six attacks and five blocks against the intimidating Santiago-led NU team. Another sophomore, Tin Tiamzon, led the team from Taft in scoring, finishing with 17 points on 12 attacks.
After losing a thrilling first-set, the Lady Bulldogs were keen on equalizing or even taking the game. Their hopeful comeback never came, however, as La Salle’s offense picked up pace in the second and third set, surprising the NU squad. Santiago brought her team within striking distance, but was not able to finish as she ended the game with 13 points on 11 attacks, a block, and a service ace.
Head coach Ramil De Jesus has looked upon his bench players in the past few games. The Lady Spikers are looking to find additional offense from back-up setter Michelle Cobb and May Luna.
With the hopes of grabbing their seventh win to improve to a 7-2 win-loss standing, the Lady Spikers will be tested with regard to how they react to pressure in closing sets or games.
After their previous game, team captain Kim Fajardo shared her thoughts on the team’s struggle to close out, saying, “Same lang [yung mga problema ng team], katulad lang sa last game [versus ADMU]. Nakapaglamang kami, nagrerelax talaga. Dati naman ganun din yung problema.” (We had the same problems this game just like the last time we played ADMU. We take the lead and tend to relax.)
