The DLSU Lady Spikers vanquished the rebuilding UP Fighting Maroons in straight sets, capturing their third consecutive victory, 25-15, 25-17, 25-18, earlier today, March 10, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Libero Lyka De Leon stamped her mark on the overpowering sweep by laying down 13 excellent digs and nine excellent receptions to be hailed Player of the Game. This was supported by reigning Rookie-MVP Angel Canino’s 16-point show to notch the Lady Spikers’ only double-digit outing alongside Shevana Laput and Thea Gagate, who chalked up nine and eight markers, respectively.
The resolute undertaking of Joan Monares was not enough to propel UP to their first win of the season, as she spearheaded the ladies in maroon with a point short of a double-digit performance. Nina Ytang and Irah Jaboneta were unsung heroes in the losing effort, as they each contributed seven points to the Fighting Maroons’ scoreboard.
Killer instincts
The Lady Spikers swiftly asserted dominance in the opening set as Gagate’s ninja quick and Team Captain Julia Coronel’s precise ace immediately put La Salle on the scoreboard, 2-0. However, the Diliman-based squad did not leave each misstep unretaliated. They boasted their own bombs in a back-and-forth showing of offense comprising crosscourt missiles and block breakers to retain close proximity with La Salle, 8-6. But the defending champions exhibited composure as Canino’s soft back row bomb and grounded corner shot alongside Laput’s put-in and Alleiah Malaluan’s down-the-line dagger accelerated the Green-and-White with a 5-0 run to force the foes to call for timeout and enjoy a seven-point cushion, 13-6.
After a vacillating exchange of attack errors from both sides, the set’s second half played out similarly to the first. A 3-0 run for the ladies in green, headlined by a monster block from Laput, followed by a seesaw game of offensive outbursts from both squads as La Salle keeps snug control, 20-12. After contributing to several explosions from the back row, Canino continued to let her presence be known. Mirroring Gagate’s impenetrable arms that guided the Lady Spikers to reach set point, Laput capped the first set in dominating fashion with her own kill block, 25-15.
Grinding it out
Unlike their performance in the opening set, the Lady Spikers struggled to gain an early advantage in set two, exchanging points with the Fighting Maroons as both sides committed self-inflicted errors, 7-all. With the team from Taft holding a slim one-point advantage coming off the set’s first technical timeout, La Salle picked up the pace by dishing out a huge 4-0 run, which was capped off by an ace from Coronel to place them ahead at 11-7.
The Diliman-based squad kept the game close by keeping the DLSU defenders busy, but their poor receptions, combined with the Lady Spikers’ counterattacks—prevented UP from seeing daylight. After an uncontested tip-in from Kryzten Cabasac allowed UP to trim their deficit to two at 16-14, La Salle maintained composure and kept their opponents at bay with a barrage of timely attacks—extending their lead once more, 19-14. As the Fighting Maroons continued to crumble under the pressure of the defending champions, reigning Most Valuable Player Canino pulled off a hat-trick to end their misery, 25-17.
Eruptive end
The Lady Spikers continued to struggle in the final set of the match as they started on the wrong foot after Jaboneta allowed a crosscourt dagger. But Gagate and Canino exhibited fast recovery at the net as they each handed out soft touches off a quick and back row footing to steal the lead, 2-1. Henceforth, the two teams displayed a call-and-response sequence as bullets showered from both ends of the court, with Canino and Monares spearheading their respective troops, nearly putting the set on deadlock, 15-14.
But the heart of champions edged out as the Lady Spikers showed how it is done after capitalizing two consecutive attack errors from the Fighting Maroons and dispensing a Gagate classic quick, two Laput crosscourt attacks, and a statement Provido block, alongside Julieanna Rose Levina’s first point of the match to scoop out an 8-1 run—handing them an eight-point cushion, 23-15. Despite the momentum on the side of the Taft-based team, the Diliman fire refused to get extinguished as UP meekly retaliated with a 3-0 run with the help of Cabasac’s crosscourt bomb and Abilaine Goc’s down-the-line hit to cut the lead to five, 23-18. But La Salle rookie Lilay Del Castillo made sure to let her swaggering presence known as she finally showed out with back-to-back points off a quick attack and a kill block to anchor La Salle with its fifth sweep of the season, 25-18.
Speaking on the outstanding win, DLSU Assistant Coach Noel Orcullo expressed that the Lady Spikers still have much to work on in preparation for their highly-anticipated match against the NU Lady Bulldogs. “Although [we won in] straight sets, nakukulangan pa rin kami sa galaw nila and kailangan pang i-polish going to NU’s game next week. So, we have to work on our lapses, lahat ng dapat i-correct. Kailangan yung connection nandoon pa rin.”
(Although we won in straight sets, we still lack a lot and have a lot to polish heading into our game against NU next week. So, we have to work on our lapses and everything that has to be corrected. Our connection still has to be there.)
Now possessing a 5-1 record, the Green-and-White will look to extend their reign as they take on their fierce rivals, the NU Lady Bulldogs, in a blockbuster UAAP Season 85 Finals rematch on Saturday, March 16, at 2 pm at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Scores:
DLSU 3 – Canino 16, Laput 9, Gagate 8, Malaluan 6, Coronel 4, Soreño 4, Del Castillo 3, Levina 3, Provido 2, Tolentino 0, Torres 0
UP 0 – Monares 9, Jaboneta 7, Ytang 7, Celis 6, Cabasac 4, Bustrillo 2, Goc 1, Magsombol 1, De Guia 0, Encarnacion 0
Set Scores: 25-15, 25-17, 25-18
