The DLSU Green Spikers swept their UAAP Season 86 Men’s Volleyball Tournament head-to-head matchup against the UE Red Warriors in straight sets, 25-17, 25-11, 25-21, earlier today, April 9, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Outside spiker Noel Kampton topped the scoresheet for the Green Spikers with 17 points on 16 points, a service ace, and 76-percent attack efficiency to top off a balanced scoring for the team from Taft with Vince Maglinao and Nathaniel Del Pilar tallying eight points each.
In the losing effort, Angelo Reyes had 11 points all in attack for the Red Warriors while Joshua Pozas added 10 points.
Tactical advantage
The match began with an early deadlock as both squads were eager to chip in points with DLSU’s Kampton and Maglinao exhibiting their crosscourt spikes and UE’s off the block attacks, 4-all. The men in green quickly regained their strength and unleashed an unstoppable 7-0 run after contributions from all sides of the court with varied attacks from the middle and the wings, 10-4. The Green Spikers capitalized on the Red Warriors’ lackluster defense and unforced errors with variations of quick attacks and soft tips, 15-8.
Despite this dominant outing, UE was able to score easy points after La Salle’s errors on the service line and Eco Adajar’s readable plays. UE’s Pozas proved to be the team’s glimmer of hope in this disadvantageous set with his crosscourt spikes and off the block attacks, 22-15. Sealing the deal for the swift first set victory was Yoyong Mendoza with a dagger attack, 25-17.
Steamrolling
As the Green Spikers got their game rolling, it continued at the start of the second set as Kampton ended a sloppy rally with an emphatic crosscourt attack, 1-0. A back-and-forth affair before consecutive errors from UE gave La Salle a two point edge, 4-2. For DLSU, both their offense and defense clicked at the same time which built a five point advantage after a Del Pilar spike, 9-4, forcing UE to call a timeout.
La Salle continued to roll like a man on a mission, dominating UE on both ends and creating a 10-point cushion off a Kampton service ace, 16-6. Shan Camaymayan brought some light for the Red Warriors building a mini 2-0 run with a power kill over the blockers and attack error from La Salle which cut the lead to nine, 18-9. Kampton showed out and carried the team to close out UE in the second set with a couple of powerful hits, 25-11.
A close call
The Green Spikers faced a different Red Warriors side in the third set with the opposition keeping the lead close. UE’s reliable scorer, Pozas, was the first to gain a point followed by errors from Kampton and Rui Ventura, 3-1. The nip-and-tuck affair continued as it unearthed another reliable scorer for the Green Spikers, Ventura, who shined in his sharp and steady crosscourt attacks, 9-8.
The Taft-based squad attempted to regain control after Kampton and Jules De Jesus’ attacks were too much for the UE blockers to contain. Not backing down, UE’s Pozas bravely challenged the long arms of the blockers in front of him, 22-20. La Salle rookie Eugene Gloria made use of the quality minutes given to him after a successful block and attack from the middle. The Green Spikers took the match following an anticlimactic attack error from the UE side, 25-21.
Onto the Final Four, Coach Jose Roque talked about how important the remaining games are. “Sabi ko nga after [loss against] FEU, kailangan focus kami sa succeeding game from NU. [We will] give [it] all… Handa talaga kami. Yun ang binigay kong mindset [hanggang sa] oras na makapasok sa Final Four.”
(Like I said after our loss against FEU, we need to focus on our succeeding game from NU and give our best … we will give it all, and that will be our mindset until we make it on to the Final Four.)
When Kampton was asked about the mindset of the team, he declared, “Last four games—wala naman masama mangarap. I-try talaga namin na i-sweep namin ang games. I’m not saying mananalo kami, but I’m saying na we will do our best para makuha namin yun at will see sa Final Four. Ito munang sa second round kami magfo-focus.”
(Last four games—there’s nothing to worry about dreaming of sweeping the game. I’m not saying we will win, but I’m saying we will do our best to get that and will see on to the Final Four. We will focus first on the second round.)
Following this astounding victory, the DLSU Green Spikers aim to keep their win streak alive in the hopes of advancing to the Final Four as they take on the NU Bulldogs on Sunday, April 14, at 12 pm at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The Scores:
DLSU 3 – Kampton 17, Del Pilar 8, Maglinao 8, Anima 6, Ventura 6, De Jesus 5, Mendoza 5, Gloria 2, Adajar 0, Layug 0, Poquita III 0, De Castro 0, Guerrero 0
UE 0 – Reyes 11, Pozas 10, Aligayon 7, Camaymayan 6, Roca 2, Defeo 1, Maglay 1, Bicar 0, Balean 0, Herbosa 0, Mangahis 0, Quezon 0, Yturralde 0
Set Scores: 25-17, 25-11, 25-21
