The DLSU Green Spikers stay alive in their title defense, overcoming the FEU Tamaraws in a four-set thriller, 25-21, 25-19, 21-25, 25-20, in Game Two of the 2024 V-League Men’s Division Finals series, yesterday, October 2, at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.
Keeping the Green-and-White alive during the do-or-die game was Player of the Game Chris Hernandez, who unleashed 23 points from 17 attacks, four blocks, two aces, and five excellent digs. Rui Ventura also chimed in 12 points, while both Noel Kampton and Josh Magalaman listed nine points to propel the Green Spikers to their first win in the Finals series.
Dryx Saavedra commanded the floor for FEU, releasing 18 points off 16 attacks, two blocks, and four excellent digs. Alongside him were double-digit scorers Lirick Mendoza and Jelord Talisayan, who tallied 11 points and 10 markers, respectively.
First kill
With their reign on the line, the DLSU Green Spikers went all out and wasted no time drawing first blood in the all-important match. A formidable frontline for both teams immediately showed out in the first half as Taft tower Magalaman and Morayta mainstay Mendoza exchanged quick attacks and displayed firm net defense to put the match in several deadlocks, 6-all. But the Green Spikers eventually seized separation courtesy of FEU’s erroneous attack attempts, even plaguing the usually reliable scorer Saavedra with a wide crosscourt hit to gift the Green-and-White a five-point cushion entering the second technical timeout, 16-11.
Best Middle Blocker Magalaman continued to expose their foes’ shaky floor defense with a crucial service ace to maintain the comfortable lead. But Doula Ndongala powered through for the Tamaraws, shutting down a backrow attempt by Hernandez and capitalizing on an overreception by the defending champions with an explosive putback to cut the lead to two, 18-16. But despite a quiet showing by Hernandez early in the set, the 2024 V-League Best Outside Spiker finally came through with a late-set effort with a crosscourt dagger and Zone-One smasher to snatch the first set for the Taft-based squad, 25-21.
Inching closer
After claiming the first set in their revenge game, the Green Spikers headed into the second frame with full force. Ventura kicked things off for La Salle, delivering explosive back-to-back quicks to shift the score from a tie to an advantage, 3-1. Magalaman further exemplified the Taft-based squad’s determination, executing a fierce quick attack that was initially denied by Talisayan, but was capitalized the second time to stretch the gap, 9-5.
The Tamaraws managed to recover some of the deficit through impressive attacking, coming as close as two points after a resounding spike from Mendoza soared over the Taft blockers, bringing the Morayta-based squad within two points, 14-12. Magalaman quickly responded for DLSU with an unstoppable crosscourt dagger, sparking a 3-0 run and a five-point gap, 17-12.
Despite FEU’s attempts to catch up with the Green Spikers nearing the finish line of the second set, Ventura brought them closer to victory by converting an attack to an off-the-block point, 24-18. Both teams were kept on their toes in the final moments of the set, with the Tamaraws’ Amet Bituin delivering a deceiving drop. Still, Ventura ultimately finished the job himself, closing the set with a thunderous crosscourt strike, 25-19.
Tamaraws awakened
In a valiant attempt to close the match with a sweep, the DLSU Green Spikers found themselves struggling against the Tamaraws and their newly found confidence. The first few moments of the set saw the Green Spikers playing perfect volleyball with diverse offensive plays as the season’s Best Setter Adajar rotated between reliable attackers, with Ventura chiming in with a cut shot and bomb to Zone Six to control the lead in blitz fashion, 3-1. Hernandez also delivered an all-around experience as he dislodged a block on Saavedra, an off-the-block bomb, and a service ace to the end line to keep their lead, 7-4.
But the Tamaraws started to figure out the defending champions’ net defense, successfully unleashing attacks that sliced and recoiled through triple blocks, with Mendoza, Talisayan, and Charles Absin all coming alive for the Green-and-Gold to finally take the lead, 19-15. Head Coach Jose Roque attempted to stop the bleeding by using his hidden card and returning ace Kampton who immediately pierced through the scoreboard with off-the-block hits of his own. But the lead proved to be too uphill of a battle for La Salle as Tamaraw rookie Bituin made his presence known with a dagger to Zone One and paved the way to Mendoza’s set-stealing blockbuster to extend the match to a fourth set, 25-21.
Rising above their weakness
Coming off a brief lapse in the third set, the Green Spikers were granted another opportunity to regain their footing. La Salle maintained their composure, strengthening their defense to preserve an early advantage. FEU’s scoring ace, Saavedra, found trouble getting past the defense of Hernandez as the Tamaraws saw the gap widen to five, 7-2. Slowing down the Tamaraws’ scoring efforts even further, Layug and Ventura relentlessly thwarted their fierce quicks twice, successfully preventing the ball from Talisayan’s hands from landing in their court, 11-7.
The Green-and-White’s defensive engine received a massive boost as Kampton went all out in his first set as a starter, hammering through a block down the line to redeem himself after a previous attack error, 17-12. The final set continued to see denied entries, miscommunication, and errors from FEU during the most crucial moments. In contrast, DLSU pressed on with their offensive plays. Hungry for a third set in their tally, Ventura fired a precise crosscourt kill, 23-19. Ultimately, the game concluded with a statement combination block by Magalaman and Adajar to keep the Green-and-White’s title defense alive, 25-20.
In hopes of being crowned champions once more, the DLSU Green Spikers will face the FEU Tamaraws for the final time in their best-of-three series in a winner-takes-all matchup on Friday, October 4, at 5 pm at the same venue.
The Scores:
DLSU 3 – Hernandez 23, Ventura 12, Magalaman 9, Kampton 9, Mendoza 7, Layug 7, Adajar 2, Guerrero 0, Gloria 0, Retiro 0
FEU 1 – Saavedra 18, Mendoza 11, Talisayan 10, Absin 9, Bituin 8, Espartero 4, Ndongala 3, Ceballos 0, Cacao 0, De Guzman 0, Du-ot 0, Martinez 0, Miguel 0
Set Scores: 25-21, 25-19, 21-25, 25-20
