The DLSU Lady Spikers gave the JRU Lady Bombers a beatdown, dominating in three-straight sets, 25-18, 25-20, 25-16, and capping off a successful Pool C campaign with three consecutive wins, earlier today, October 13, at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
Baby Jyne Soreño showcased high level plays, laying down 10 points from six service aces and four attacks, which earned her the title of Player of the Game. Assisting the Green-and-White to victory were Sandy Patricia Demain and Katrina Del Castillo who stunned the Lady Bombers with 11 and 10 points in the scoreboard, respectively.
Despite the Lady Bombers’ promising start—led by Nicole Deala’s impressive seven-point performance—the Taft-based team stayed resolute in the game. Alongside her were Cherry Dayame and Khreiszantha Gayle Batara, who supported the Lady Bombers by contributing six and four marks to their record.
Shaky start
With their eyes set on the goal, the JRU Lady Bombers struck first as they rained on three consecutive points for their team. Patricia Del Pilar led the charge with a quick attack, giving the Bombers momentum to chase forward, 3-0. Off to a shaky start, the Taft-based team struggled in the first few minutes of the set, committing a barrage of errors and leaving JRU on a winning streak.
As the game progressed, the Lady Spikers caught up after JRU carried out unforced errors, leaving DLSU on the clutch of gaining advantage with a one-point gap to catch, 10-9. The Green-and-White capitalized on the Lady Bombers’ struggle to maintain dominance and constant attack errors, forcing JRU to call a timeout, 11-10. Fresh off break, Del Castillo executed a ninja quick that stunned the Lady Bombers attempt at breaking DLSU’s momentum, inspiring the ladies in green to score a four-point run, 16-10.
The Lady Spikers’ streak persisted. Although JRU attempted to wrangle back-to-back plays against the Taft-based squad, they continued to lag behind, 21-15. The set was sealed with two consecutive aces by Soreño, ending the Lady Bombers’ chance at set dominance, 25-18.
Soreño takes control
The second set began with both teams exchanging leads amid disorganized attacks. However, La Salle were quicker to adjust and outplay JRU, who continued to make attacking errors to gift DLSU a three point advantage before the first technical timeout, 8-5. The short break proved effective for the Lasallians, who began to build a run, propelled by Demain’s powerful kills that could not be contained by the JRU blockers. The Lady Spikers continued to gain momentum through Soreño who added three impressive service aces and a powerful kill during this run, boosting La Salle to a 16-6 advantage at the second technical timeout.
DLSU continued to take advantage of the Lady Bombers’ tendency to commit attacking errors. Along with combination plays and cross-court kills from Maile Salang and Maria Santos, respectively, the team held onto a comfortable lead, 22-13. However, La Salle began to commit floor defense errors, net touches, and antenna violations, allowing JRU to put a run together to cut the lead to just four, 23-19. Nevertheless, a kill from Demain and Soreño ensured the second set for the Lasallians, 25-20.
Del Castillo dominates
The third set of the match opened with Amor Guinto penetrating the JRU blockers and a service ace from Salang, giving La Salle an early 4-0 run. However, a brief lapse in communication occurred from DLSU, allowing JRU to cut the deficit to two, 6-4. The team regained control thanks to Amie Provido’s excellent net presence and well-timed block, allowing Santos to find the gap between the JRU defense to reach the first technical timeout, 8-6. Following a series of service reception errors from JRU and middle attacks from Del Castillo, DLSU began to build an assertive lead. Despite two net touch violations Provido, Demain once again broke down the blocking efforts of JRU to reach the second technical timeout for DLSU, 16-12.
Del Castillo, eager to finish the game with a strong run, continued to dominate the court with aggressive net presence and middle attacks, constantly exploiting holes within the JRU defense. Backing up Del Castillo’s third set surge was Demain, who was able to break down the double blocker defense system of JRU with a powerful hit, 23-15. In a last-ditch effort to contain DLSU, the coaching staff of JRU called a timeout to try and stop the momentum from the Green-and-White. However, after an attack error from JRU, Guinto ended the matchup with a strong wing attack, claiming the third set for DLSU, 25-16.
Ending their bid for dominance in Pool C with a perfect record, Soreño expressed her happiness and confidence following the victory. “I feel happy ganun and confident lang talaga. Looking forward for the next game, syempre malaki yung pinagdadaanan namin pero pasok pa rin sa sistema and preparation pa rin sa next game.” she shared. With their success in their preliminary round, the Lady Spikers hope to continue their streak in the upcoming round of the season.
(I feel really happy and confident. Of course, looking forward for the next game, we’re going through a lot, but we’ll still follow the system and preparations for the next game.)
The Scores:
DLSU 3 – Demain 11, Del Castillo 10, Guinto 10, Soreño 10, Canino 4, Salang 4, Provido 2, Santos 2, Escandor 1, Tolentino 1
JRU 0 – Deals 7, Dayame 6, Batara 4, Pretta 4, Jasareno 2, Silverio 2, Amante 1, Canoy 1, Del Pilar 1
Set Scores: 25-18, 25-20, 25-16
