The DLSU Lady Spikers triumphed over the UP Lady Maroons in straight sets earlier today at the FilOil Flying V Centre, 25-21, 25-22, 26-24. Kianna Dy and Tin Tiamzon willed the Green-and-White to victory with 13 points each. Desiree Cheng and Michelle Cobb added 10 points each as well, with the former having seven successful receives and the latter with seven service aces. In UP’s losing effort, Dianne Carlos contributed a game-high of 19 points on 16 attacks. In the final set, Cobb had three services aces late in the game to place La Salle ahead of UP.
“Parang pinanghahawakan ko na they trust me and na parang ayokong sayangin kasi siyempre as a setter parang ikaw yung pasa ng team kasi ikaw yung magdidistribute so yun parang the trust they gave me, I don’t want to waste it,” said Michelle Cobb as she explained how she handled the crowd to remain composure.
Strong start
The first set was rather tedious with both teams scoring one after the other, as well as numerous errors that afflicted the teams. La Salle then jumped to a three-point lead, but the Lady Maroons eventually went on a 4-0 run to give them the lead, 6-7. It was apparent that Jessma Ramos intimidated the Lady Spikers’ defense in the middle of the set as she bestowed UP with four consecutive points to give them the lead, 16-12.
Nonetheless, Majoy Baron’s timely blocks and a crucial error by UP helped DLSU bring the set to its seventh tie at 19-all. In addition, Tiamzon proved to be the significant player in the set as she clinched a win with four straight attacks, giving the team from Taft the first set.
Dy kicked off the second set with a strong kill with the help of Cobb, who orchestrated her team throughout the game with 32 excellent sets. However, UP quickly took control with a five-point run to lead the Lady Spikers, 6-4. The combination of Baron and Cheng gave DLSU a comeback by going on a run of their own, scoring 10 straight points to bring their team towards striking distance, 18-12. Although La Salle committed more errors in the second set, UP was unable to keep up with the Lady Spikers’ offense, allowing the Lasallians to win the second set.
Come-from-behind finish
After trailing by as much as six points in the third frame, coach Ramil De Jesus and his team maintained composure to close out a rallying UP. Cobb had 32 excellent sets in the game. Whereas UP’s libero, Josette Thai, encountered problems in receiving in the set’s crucial moments.
The duo of Issa Molde and Ramos combined for a seven to one run to gain a sizable margin against the defending champions, 11-17. A spike from Molde off a Baron block capped of their offensive barrage. La Salle, however, trimmed the deficit through a collective team effort along with timely errors from the team from Diliman. Dy and Aduke Ogunsanya were among the significant scorers who aided La Salle in securing the third set.
The Fighting Maroons were placed in a triple set-point-situation, 21-24, against DLSU after a successful block from its first line of defense. Unfortunately, a kill from Baron started off the five to nothing run in the final stretch which doomed UP. It was then followed by a crucial reception error from Molde. Finally, the three consecutive service aces from Cobb handed La Salle its second win.
Despite the win, Cobb still believes she has countless more opportunities to be a more mature player. “Mahaba pa yung season and madami pa akong situations na matututunan. And yun yung mga magdedefine sa’yo as a player,” explained Cobb.
The Lady Spikers will look to add another win to their belt as they face the FEU Lady Tamaraws on Wednesday, February 14, at 4 pm in the same venue.
The scores:
DLSU (76) – Dy 13, Tiamzon 13, Cheng 10, Cobb 10, Baron 9, Ogunsanya 4, Layug 0, Saga 0, Macandili 0
UP (67) – Carlos 19, Molde 10, Ramos 9, Buitre 7, Estranero 3, Lim 1, Dorog 1, Basatre 1, Layug 0, Siao 0, Thai 0.
