The DLSU Lady Spikers fell short in their opening game in the UAAP Season 87 Women’s Volleyball Tournament as they were mauled by the defending champions, the NU Lady Bulldogs, in straight sets, 23-25, 21-25, 18-25, earlier tonight, February 16, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
In a losing effort, opposite hitter Shevana Laput chipped in 18 points—all coming from attacks. Team Captain Angel Canino contributed seven points and 13 excellent receptions, while Lyka De Leon manned the floor defense of DLSU with a 55.56-percent receiving efficiency.
Michaela Belen and Alyssa Solomon manned the winning ship for the Lady Bulldogs, tallying 14 and 13 points, respectively. Middle blocker Alexa Mata followed with another double digit benchmark with 10 markers coming from eight attacks and two blocks.
Opening day jitters
Despite starting their maiden set strong with back-to-back points from Laput’s loaded attacks, the Lady Spikers were quickly countered by the ferocity of the Lady Bulldogs who launched a 4-0 blitz, combining an impenetrable defense with a potent offense, 4-2. The team from Taft continued to struggle in finding their rhythm, remaining at a disadvantage until the first technical timeout of the match, 8-4.
After the timeouts, Canino immediately made her presence known on the court with a resounding crosscourt attack that the Lady Bulldogs failed to receive, sending the ball out of the playing area, 8-5. After receiving bonus points from service and attack errors from NU, Amie Provido chipped in a service ace with the help of the net, closing the gap from their biggest deficit of seven points in the first set, 15-11.
The Lady Bulldogs maintained their composure and continued to pull away, with a quick attack and a block from Erin Pangilinan and Evangeline Alinsug, respectively, 18-12. The Green-and-White refused to back down, scoring two points of their own after a deceptive tip by Jules Tolentino and a sharp attack from Laput, cutting the lead back and forcing NU to call a timeout, 18-14.
Things began to look bleak for the Lady Spikers as they were behind by six points, with their opponent only three points away from grabbing the first set, 22-16. But Tolentino’s signature move for the day, a tip by the net, sparked things up for the Lady Spikers into establishing a scoring run. A series of energizing plays were unleashed by the Taft squad with Laput and Canino leading the floor in offense, the latter sealing the 7-1 run by pushing the ball into NU’s blockers to reach a deadlock, 23-all. Despite the late yet hopeful surge, an attack error from Laput sealed the set for NU, 25-23.
Drowning with errors
Despite going head-to-head in the first leg of the second set, the Lady Spikers were unable to contain and improve from their errors, allowing the Lady Bulldogs to be steps ahead in the game, 8-7. The second set showed intensity between the teams as it saw six deadlocks with wing hitters exchanging blows, but Solomon’s deep crosscourt spike pushed both teams into the second technical timeout, 16-14.
NU was then able to push this cushion into a three-point deficit, with Belen’s down-the-line hit plus attack errors from Canino and Alleiah Malaluan, 20-17. However, Malaluan’s single block and Laput’s clever hitting allowed them to inch closer to the Lady Bulldogs, 20-19. Despite a smart play provided by Provido, DLSU was not able to recover from their unforced errors, ushering NU to close the set with a corner pocket spike courtesy of Alinsug, 25-21.
Too much to handle
The two teams were at each other’s throats in the opening moments of the final set, breaking deadlock after deadlock. After the 6-all mark, the Lady Bulldogs started to pull away after Solomon broke out and marked a personal 3-0 run from quick attacks and capitalizing on blocks, 10-6.
NU’s deadly momentum continued, torturing La Salle’s defense as the Green-and-White struggled to contain them. With the Lady Spikers scrambling on floor defense, the Lady Bulldogs’ consistent plays and loaded attacks lifted them into gaining a wide margin as they looked to win in their opening match, 15-7. In an attempt to catch up, Laput stepped up and listed a point after capitalizing on the opponent’s blockers, which was then followed by a service ace from Provido, 15-9.
The Lady Spikers refused to back down despite the Lady Bulldogs inching closer and closer to the finish line, as efforts from Laput and Malaluan on the attacking department closed the margin between them, 22-15. La Salle kept NU on hold in reaching their final point with Canino posting a point from a packed spike that the Lady Bulldogs could not handle. Ultimately, the unyielding defense and aggressive offense of NU was too much for the Lady Spikers, ending their maiden match in a loss, 25-18.
The Lady Spikers remain on the hunt to claim their first victory in their upcoming match against the AdU Lady Falcons on Saturday, February 22, at 5 pm at the FilOil EcoOil Arena.
The Scores:
DLSU 0 – Laput 18, Canino 7, Malaluan 5, Provido 5, Tolentino 3, Del Castillo 2, Raagas 0, Reterta 0, Rodriguez 0, De Leon 0
NU 3 – Belen 14, Solomon 13, Mata 10, Alinsug 8, Pangilinan 7, Panique 2, Marsh 1, Toring 1, Lamina 1, Jardio 0, Bello 0
Set Scores: 23-25, 21-25, 18-25
