Despite their spirited performance, the DLSU Green Spikers succumbed under the pressure of the defending champions NU Bulldogs, dropping their debut match in the UAAP Season 87 Men’s Volleyball Tournament in three sets, 22-25, 22-25, 19-25, earlier today, February 16, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Pushing the Lasallian faithfuls forward was top scorer Yoyong Mendoza, who nicked 10 points from nine attacks and one block. Veteran Green Spiker Noel Kampton also challenged the Bulldogs’ playmaking strategies, racking up nine points from his strong offensive plays in the scoreboard.
On the other side of the court, Team Captain Leo Aringo dominated the floor, clinching 20 points out of 13 attacks and one block. He was supported by his teammate, Buds Buddin, who contributed 18 points from 17 attacks for the blue-and-white.
Left scrambling
Aringo set the tone for the Bulldogs, 1-0, shaking the grounds of the Taft-based squad. Kampton quickly responded, taking advantage of NU’s hands, 1-all. With a slow start, the Green-and-White was soon dominated by the Sampaloc-based squad’s strong, rapid pace, 4-1. La Salle was continuously plagued with errors as they trailed by two, 9-7. A miscalculation from Michael Fortuna led to an attacking error, 11-7, widening the gap to four marks. Despite adapting quickly to the blue shirts’ pace, the Taft-based squad has yet to catch up on their plays.
Fresh off a timeout, Eric Layug found his momentum in a rally-breaking offensive play, 11-8. The green and blue shirts exchanged consecutive shots, but the Bulldogs maintained their lead after a successful ball in/ball out challenge, 14-10. DLSU unraveled further; gaps in their playmaking became more apparent as miscommunication disrupted their rhythm, encouraging the blue shirts to build their momentum, 18-11.
Bolstering their spirit, Nat Del Pilar pushed for a comeback, nicking a point from an ace, 20-16. Despite the late surge, the Green-and-White was still disconnected. The Bulldogs eventually took advantage of their struggle, 22-18. As the team plays at its brink, Fortuna successfully attacks the middle back in his last-ditch attempt, bringing the scores to 23-20. However, it was too late as the Sampaloc-based squad bagged the first set, with Team Captain Aringo snatching the win with a crosscourt attack, 25-22.
A fine line
Entering the second set, La Salle stepped on the court with renewed vigor, regrouping from their opening set gaps. The first few plays started with an exchange of points. Kampton stepped up to reinforce the Green Spikers’ offensive and defensive strategies, forcing NU into an off-the-block counter, 7-6. Seeing their foes’ drive, Rwenzmel Taguibolos and Buddin pushed the gap to four, as they rained on La Salle’s budding fire, 13-9. However, Mendoza did not let this pass, leaving the blue shirts scrambling. Buddin recovered after being left unattended, triggering a DLSU substitution, 15-11.
The Bulldogs’ own errors opened the door for the Green Spikers. As NU was plagued with service and attacking errors, La Salle caught up, 22-20. In spite of these mistakes, the defending champions regained control. They pushed the Green-and-White into a tight spot after Buddin pulled an attack in the middle, triggering another DLSU timeout, 23-20. Grasping on to the last few minutes of the match, Del Pilar fired a strike, followed by a net touch from NU, 24-22. Despite the Taft squad’s valiant efforts to gain momentum, the blue shirts lived up to their winning record as Buddin delivered the final blow to clinch the second set, 25-22.
Missed mark
With La Salle down by two sets, the Green-and-White stepped on the court out for blood. The early minutes saw a close exchange of points, but the Taft-based squad’s urgency led to several unforced errors, allowing NU to pull ahead at 7-3. Mendoza, craving a rebound, attacks a cross to close the gap to three, 8-5. Kampton followed up his efforts with a sharp offensive play, bringing the Green Spikers within two points, 10-8. Still, NU was relentless. Buddin and Aringo blocked the green shirts’ advances as they slowly broke down DLSU’s budding momentum, 16-9.
As the gap widened to seven, the Taft-based squad pushed for better defense and offense. However, with the Bulldogs’ fast-paced playmaking, the Lasallian hopefuls were left chasing in the back end. They stared down the blue shirts’ towers, with Kampton and Fortuna displaying intense offensive plays, closely followed by Mendoza’s consecutive marks, 23-18. Yet, even with the Green-and-White’s attempts to stop the bleeding, the Bulldogs fiercely defended their title, ending the set with a failed reception from the Taft-based squad, 25-19.
With their season-opener behind them, the DLSU Green Spikers look for redemption against the AdU Soaring Falcons on Saturday, February 22, at 3 pm at the FilOil EcoOil Arena in San Juan City.
The Scores:
DLSU 0 – Mendoza 10, Kampton 9, Fortuna 7, Layug 4, Del Pilar 2, Ventura 2, Guerrero 0, Magallanes 0, Adajar 0, Poquita 0, Maglinao 0, Hernandez 0, Rodriguez 0
NU 3 – Aringo 20, Buddin 18, Ordiales 9, Mukaba 6, Taguibolos 5, Ancheta 1, Abanilla 1, Gallego 0, Bandola 0, Disquitado 0, Hernandez 0, Gapultos 0, Parreno 0, Diao 0
Set Scores: 22-25, 22-25, 19-25
