Picking up where they left off in their previous game against their archrivals, the ADMU Lady Eagles, the DLSU Lady Spikers extended their streak to five wins earlier today at the FilOil Flying V Centre. The team from Taft obtained a 10-3 win-loss record after cruising past the UE Lady Warriors in straight sets, 25-17, 25-16, 25-19.
With the win today, La Salle is now assured of at least a playoff for the elusive twice-to-beat advantage. As of press time, the Lady Spikers, as stated by head coach Ramil De Jesus, will most likely be facing the UST Golden Tigresses in the Final Four series. “Talagang UST na. Just in case manalo kami sa Sunday o matalo kami sa Sunday, [UST] pa din yung magiging kalaban namin,” De Jesus explained.
(UST will be our opponents. Just in case we win or lose our game against FEU, we will be facing UST either way.)
The duo of Dela Cruz and Ogunsanya led the way for the Green-and-White as they recorded 10 points each in the team’s tally. The former contributed nine attacks and a block, while the latter added eight attacks, a block, and a service ace.
Despite the loss, Lady Warrior Judith Abil was dominant on both ends of the floor after posting 16 points all on attacks.
Showing signs of rust
The early portion of the first set saw the Lady Warriors go toe to toe with the Lady Spikers, the set was relatively close when the set was tied at 13-all. The Taft-based squad slowly pulled away after offensive and defensive efforts by Ernestine Tiamzon, Lourdes Clemente, and Desiree Cheng. A block by Dela Cruz on Abil gave La Salle their first set point the match, 25-17.
The second set saw parallel results with the first. DLSU started slow but was able to rally a 4-0 scoring run in the middle of set. UE, on the other hand, tried to mount several comeback attempts, but Lady Spikers May Luna, Marrione Alba, and Norielle Ipac were there to answer back every time the Lady Warriors scored. An off the block spike by Tiamzon closed the second set in favor of La Salle and obtained a two set edge over UE, 25-16.
Attaining the twice-to-beat
Similar to the previous sets, La Salle struggled to stop Abil at the net. Although, they were able to convert and kept the game close. The Green-and-White scored five consecutive points, which was capped off by a UE four touch error, giving the Lady Spikers a four-point lead, 18-14. The Lady Warriors tried to mount a comeback and force a fourth set but it was too late as rookie Ynna Hatulan sealed the game with back-to-back points off of spikes, 25-19.
The Lady Spikers will look to end the elimination round on a high note as they face the FEU Lady Tamaraws on Sunday, April 28, at 4 pm, at the same venue. “We take it one game at a time. Kung sino yung makakaharap namin, dun kami mag-fofocus,” Ogunsanya concluded after today’s win.
(We take it one game at a time. Whoever we’re facing next, that’s who we’ll be focusing on.)
The scores:
DLSU (75) – Dela Cruz 10, Ogunsanya 10, Tiamzon 9, Cheng 8, Clemente 8, Cobb 3, Ipac 2, Hatulan 2, Luna 1, Alba 1
UE (52) – Abil 16, Rodriguez 7, Baliton 5, Alcayde 4, Olarve 3, Gabarda 1, Bendong 1
