The DLSU Lady Spikers gave the NU Lady Bulldogs a thrashing, winning in four sets, 32-30, 14-25, 25-22, 25-21, to extend their unbeaten winning streak in the 2024 Shakey’s Super League, earlier tonight, October 20, at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
Rookie setter, Mikole Reyes smoked out the NU Lady Bulldogs, asserting 16 excellent sets and two points, to bag the Player of the Game award. Leading the Lady Spikers, Team Captain Angel Canino racked up 20 points on the scoreboard, along with Shevana Laput and Amie Provido, who garnered 18 and nine points, respectively, showcasing the Green-and-White’s tenacity to bring gold under pressure.
Even with the showstopping performance of Alyssa Solomon, who racked up 18 points for the Bulldogs, the Lady Bulldogs still failed to deter the Lady Spikers’ winning spirit. Along with Solomon are Vange Alinsug and Bella Belen, who brought about a close fight to victory for the Bulldogs, both tallying 13 marks in NU’s record.
Joust for the first
Setting off the first set strong, NU capitalized on the Green-and-White’s cold feet with Alexa Matas’ running start and Belen’s back-to-back aces to grab an early lead, 3-0. The Taft-based squad, gaining their footing, notched a point from Provido’s sharp crosscourt attack, swiftly followed by an attacking error from the ladies in blue to cut the lead to one, 3-2. The ladies in green jerseys and blue jerseys continued to trade attacks, closing in on four consecutive deadlocks, 11-all.
Both teams continued a back-to-back close in plays, as they strengthened their floor and net defensive strategies, 19-all. Alyssa Solomon found an opening for the Bulldogs to make a gap between the green jerseys with a crosscourt, followed by a double violation by Reyes, triggering a momentum-breaking timeout from the Lady Spikers, 21-19.
Fresh off timeout, Canino earned a mark for the ladies in green, sparking runs from both teams to put the first set in a deadlock, 23-all. Belen broke the tie with an attack, ushering an end for the Lady Spikers’ run, 24-23. However, an extended set was called after Shane Reterta checked the NU Bulldogs, 24-all. In an attempt to end the first set on a high note, NU and DLSU jousted to six consecutive set points, 30-29. In hopes of another chance at winning the set, the Lady Bulldogs effectively broke La Salle’s run with a service error from Canino after calling for a timeout, 30-all. With renewed determination to victory, Canino nicked a mark, followed by an attacking error by Solomon, ending the first set in a close call, in favor of the Lady Spikers, 32-30.
On the back foot
Fielding in the second stringers, the second set saw the same slow start as the Lady Spikers were down by three, with their lone point coming from NU’s service error, 4-1. La Salle’s shaky reception made it difficult for Maile Salang to execute better plays. Working with what they had, Alleiah Malaluan’s signature off-speed attack was able to cut NU’s lead to one, 7-6. But the momentum favored the Lady Bulldogs’ side, which went on a four-point rampage off of DLSU’s errors and back-to-back blocks by NU, 12-8.
Proving to be a bright spot for the ladies in green, Sandy Demain was able to stop the bleeding by targeting the hands of the blockers. Much to no avail, the gritty Lady Bulldogs had the upper hand as Abegail Pono’s excellent ball distribution was able to activate all of NU’s spikers, fueling their unstoppable 9-0 run, 21-9. Finally getting into the groove in the latter part of the set, Jyne Soreño and Malaluan’s attack points cut NU’s lead to 10. Unfortunately, it was too late as Sheena Toring’s attack from the middle closed the set in dominant fashion in favor of the Lady Bulldogs, 25-14.
Back running
After an upsetting second set, the Lady Spikers emerged with a dominant start after two consecutive monster blocks by Provido, 3-0. Belen and Solomon answered back, earning two points on the Bulldogs’ scoreboard, in an attempt to catch up. However, a quick from Laput gave La Salle an unstoppable momentum, 8-3. Vying to capitalize on the Green-and-White’s errors, Belen sent the Lady Spikers scrambling with a speedy attack, but failed to maximize the opening, 13-9. Determined to set the Taft-based squad straight, Kaye Bombita delivered a blow against Canino, setting the stage for the Lady Bulldogs’ advantage, 19-15. In the last few minutes of the game, La Salle lost footing after committing back-to-back errors that triggered a DLSU timeout in hopes of stopping the Bulldogs, 19-18.
The pause helped the Lady Spikers to successfully deter NU and nick three consecutive marks to the tally, 21-19, Solomon tried for another momentum-making mark with a check ball called for DLSU but was once again daunted by Provido’s quick thinking after another successful drop ball, 23-21. A costly service error by Provido gave the Bulldogs hope to catch up, but Katrina Del Castillo stamped the Lady Spikers’ place with a swift middle attack, followed by an attacking error from the Lady Bulldogs to give the third set to the Lady Spikers, 25-22.
Hounding the dogs
In a courageous attempt to end the match in four sets, the DLSU Lady Spikers were at an early disadvantage as Solomon and Alinsug found empty spots on the court to drill in their attacks, 6-2. Provido, hoping to make a difference, has asked for a set from Reyes after an excellent receive as she swung an attack from the middle. Her effort waked up other La Salle spikers with Del Castillo executing a single block, Canino scoring with an offspeed hit, and Laput tallying a service ace to mark the first deadlock of the fourth set, 7-all. La Salle’s defensive front was highly effective as Lyka De Leon was able to dig the heavy attacks of the formidable NU spikers Solomon and Belen. Nevertheless, errors were still unavoidable as both attacks of Laput and Solomon went out, 12-10.
As the seesaw affair continued, La Salle found themselves at a comfortable four-point lead, making the most out of NU’s dwindling defense, 17-13. Seemingly confident in her connection with the setter, Del Castillo was able to hammer a spike from the middle, 22-17. Solomon immediately clapped back with an astounding attack penetrating the La Salle block, fueling a mini 4-0 run for the Bulldogs, 22-20. However, it was short-lived as the Lady Spikers worked overtime to maintain their pristine defense, allowing the wingers to execute varied attacks as Laput targeted the NU blockers giving La Salle the match point. The Taft-based squad successfully outplayed the two-time Shakey’s Super League defending champions as Reterta scored a service ace to win the game, 25-21.
With another win added to their spotless record, rookie Reyes was surprised to receive the Player of the Game merit and expressed her joy after securing a morale-boosting win against the Lady Bulldogs, “Siyempre po super happy, hindi talaga ako nag-expect na ako yung magiging MVP pero sobrang fulfilling, ang sarap sa pakiramdam na matalo yung [defending] champion team.”
(We’re very happy, I did not expect to receive the MVP of the match, but this win is very fulfilling for the team, it feels gratifying to defeat the champions.)
Despite securing this victory, Reyes knows that the job is far from done, as the Lady Spikers remain humble and will continue to put trust in the La Salle system, “Tuloy-tuloy pa rin po kami sa training, walang hihinto and imamaintain lang po yung sistema.”
(Moving forward, we will continue to train, we won’t stop, and we will maintain the La Salle system.)
The Lady Spikers remain undefeated in the 2024 Shakey’s Super League after a momentous victory against the Lady Bulldogs. In the hopes of keeping their record unblemished, they will aim their arrows at their upcoming game against the UE Lady Warriors on Saturday, October 26, at 2 pm at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
The Scores:
DLSU 3 – Canino 20, Laput 18, Provido 9, Reterta 7, Del Castillo 4, Malaluan 4, Reyes 2, Soreño 2, Demain 1, Salang 1
NU 1 – Solomon 18, Alinsug 13, Belen 13, Maaya 6, Bombita 5, Pangilinan 3, Toring 3, Marsh 2, Pono 1, Mata 1, Escanlar 1
Set Scores: 32-30, 14-25, 25-22, 25-21
