Despite blitzing a third-set comeback, the DLSU Green Spikers fell devastatingly short of conquering the NU Bulldogs, yielding in four sets, 20-25, 16-25, 25-23, 21-25, earlier today, March 16, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
JM Ronquillo’s leadership on the floor was unwavering as he guided the Green Spikers with 22 points on 19 attacks in the face of a losing battle. Vince Maglinao was the only other Taft spiker in double figures, contributing 13 points and five excellent digs.
For the Sampaloc-based team, four players scored in double-figures, with Leo Aringo Jr. and Jade Disquitado paving the way with 20 and 19 points, respectively. Outside hitter Angelo Almendras also chipped in with 13 markers, while fearsome blocker Obed Mukaba poured in 10 points.
So close, yet so far
In spite of undeniable momentum from a four-game win streak, the Green-and-White were slow to get in rhythm as they fell behind early in the opening set. The Bulldogs punished the La Salle defenders with fierce blocks and heavy-hitting attacks from fervent winger Aringo, taking a 7-2 lead which prompted DLSU Head Coach Jose Roque to call a timeout.
With their side down big, Team Captain Ronquillo took charge of willing his team to keep up with NU’s scorching pace. After multiple blocks and crosscourt attacks ignited by Ronquillo’s leadership, the squad from Taft was able to snag their first lead of the set with Ronquillo scoring through twin blockers, 16-15. Both sides then went back-and-forth as Maglinao finished plays and Mukaba’s towering presence helped snag back the advantage for the Bulldogs, 20-18.
Although star spiker Noel Kampton tried to pull his team back in the game with his first points of the set, his efforts were too little, too late as the Blue-and-Gold swiftly wrest control and took the set win, 25-20.
Sluggish reception
After crumbling toward the end of the previous set, the DLSU Green Spikers failed to minimize their mistakes at the service line as they continued to suffer from consecutive unforced errors. This riled up the Bulldogs’ extreme momentum in the first few points, as Ronquillo committed back-to-back errors, giving NU a three-point lead, 7-4. Even though the Bulldogs also gave away a few points, La Salle could not recover from their poor reception, as setter Adajar failed to create plays for his teammates. A crucial attack error by Kampton was the last straw for Head Coach Jose Roque, pushing him to call for a timeout to regroup his players, as they had been throwing away too many freebies, 13-8.
Coming off the break, the NU Bulldogs continued to dominate the net on the offensive and defensive side—allowing no attack from the Maglinao-and-Kampton Taft tandem to pass through, 15-10. The Green-and-White remained sluggish in their floor defense as they could not put up any loose balls from Rwenzmel Taguibolos’ blocks, 22-15. This also allowed NU standout Aringo to fire a high-speed attack while evading the Taft Tower’s blocks—propelling his team to set-point advantage, 24-16. Despite converting a combination play, Kampton was immediately denied with a triple block by NU, which ultimately gave set two to the Bulldogs, 25-16.
Roaring back to life
In the third set of play, the Green Spikers had had enough of being on the receiving end of a beatdown, waking up from their prolonged slumber.
The Ronquillo-Kampton wing tandem’s fury combined with NU’s sloppy errors saw DLSU take an early five-point buffer, 9-4. La Salle carefully held onto their lead by trading point-for-point with the Bulldogs and was further hyped up after a Maglinao grenade over three blockers hushed Disquitado’s prior electric crosscourt attack, 16-13.
With DLSU in possession of a 20-15 edge, the Bulldogs slowly chipped away at the deficit by attacking with precision and taking advantage of La Salle’s miscues—forcing the Green Spikers into a timeout to prevent an NU comeback, 21-19. Maglinao then quickly stepped up by erupting for a crosscourt kill, paired with a timely ace from Ronquillo, which gave the Taft spikers a crucial four-point lead, 23-19. Refusing to give in, Disquitado gave DLSU a scare by netting two quick markers, but a decisive block from the beaming Billie Anima and a sorry misfire from NU sealed the deal for the white shirts, 25-23.
Too little, too late
The fourth set of the match opened with a push-and-pull exchange of plays from both teams, as the Ronquillo and Maglinao offensive duo converted points, 3-all. This fast-paced set continued until another triple block by the NU squad silenced Kampton, La Salle down by five, 10-5. The Taft-based team, led by Anima’s veteran net genius, eventually tied the match by tipping the ball in, 14-all.
The momentum of NU was undeniably unstoppable at this point as Taguibolos denied back-to-back attacks from the La Salle squad, which allowed his team to gain a four-point advantage, 19-15. Despite finally minimizing their errors, a hot-handed missile unleashed by Disquitado gave the Bulldogs a five-point lead, 22-17. Toward the end of the final set, the Ronquillo and Maglinao tandem came back to life, giving the Green Spikers a sliver of hope, 23-19, but a heartbreaking service error from Maglinao cost them the game, crumbling yet again to the NU Bulldogs, 25-21.
The DLSU Green Spikers concluded Round One of the UAAP Season 86 Men’s Volleyball Tournament with a painful loss to the red-hot NU Bulldogs. The Green-and-White aim to bounce back from this drubbing while they await the schedule of games for their next opponents in Round Two.
The Scores:
DLSU 1 – Ronquillo 22, Maglinao 13, Kampton 9, Anima 5, Del Pilar 2, Adajar 0, Gloria 0, Mendoza 0
NU 3 – Aringo 20, Disquitado 19, Almendras 13, Mukaba 10, Taguibolos 9, Retamar 5, Belostrino 0
Set Scores: 20-25, 16-25, 25-23, 21-25
