The DLSU Lady Spikers failed to add another win to their name in the UAAP Season 87 Women’s Volleyball Tournament after losing to the UST Golden Tigresses in five sets, 12-25, 25-22, 25-13, 23-25, 13-15, earlier tonight, February 26, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Taking charge of the match for the Lady Spikers was Team Captain Angel Canino, who earned 25 big markers and 17 excellent digs. Shevana Laput also tallied monster numbers with 18 points, while rookie Mikole Reyes notably contributed 15 excellent sets.
Angeline Poyos had her claws sharpened for the UST Golden Tigresses as she bagged the Player of the Game award with 28 points, three blocks, and 16 excellent digs. Regina Jurado followed suit with 17 points and six digs.
Rattled, rebuilt
The Lady Spikers’ first set jitters were evident early on as libero Lyka De Leon was unable to receive Bianca Plaza’s serve, giving UST an early advantage, 3-1. La Salle’s unstable floor defense on the end zones allowed the Golden Tigresses to continue to tally point after point. Hoping to spark a scoring spree, Canino switched her approach mid-air to confuse the blockers and cut UST’s lead by four. But Laput’s service error gave UST an advantage as they entered the first technical timeout, 8-3.
La Salle’s composure was tested once again as they were unable to start some momentum. Rookie nerves got to the young setter Reyes as she was unable to diversify her sets, leading to less scoring opportunities for the Lady Spikers. UST then went on to unleash a harrowing 6-0 run, leaving La Salle with a single digit score in the second technical timeout, 16-5. A spark of hope for the Lady Spikers was Canino who was able to score from the back row followed by a quick attack courtesy of veteran Jyne Soreño, though La Salle remained behind by half of the Thomasians’ points, 16-8. UST showcased a masterclass in floor defending, making it difficult for the team from Taft, which opened up Margaret Altea to score against La Salle’s blockers, 20-10. The Lady Spikers dropped the first set in favor of the UST Growling Tigresses after being outplayed offensively and defensively, 25-12.
After a shaky opening set, the Lady Spikers fought to recover from a 13-point deficit. Yet the second set began with a service error from Julyana Tolentino and an ace from UST. Despite the early struggles, DLSU kept their composure with Laput exploiting the empty back row and Canino stepping up on defense. UST still controlled most of the set, but the Lady Spikers chipped at their lead. Amie Provido’s well-placed dump at one fired up the crowd as La Salle was just down by one, 13-12. A Laput spike later tied the game at 18-all. Lilay Del Castillo then exposed UST’s back row, leveling it again at 20-all. A crucial block touch challenge shifted momentum to DLSU before a Reyes service ace sealed the comeback, 25-22.
Renewed energy
Determined to make another comeback with the third set, the Taft-based squad were up after an ace by Canino, Laput’s block, and errors from UST’s side, 4-0. Bouncing back from her first set jitters, Reyes successfully activated her middles, delivering an excellent set for Del Castillo to get La Salle ahead by five, 7-2. La Salle continued their dominant outing as Del Castillo notched back-to-back points from an attack and a block, 10-3.
The alternate digging and receiving libero proved to be efficient as Francesca Rodriguez and De Leon were manning the floor for DLSU. De Leon secured an excellent pass to Reyes, dishing a commanding attack to Canino, 12-5. The Lady Spikers entered the 20-point mark, leaving UST at a single digit this time, after Maribeth Hilongo’s attack went out, 20-8. Canino’s back row marked La Salle’s 14th attack as compared to UST’s six. Sophomore Poyos’ efforts are highly commendable as she found a hole in Zone One against La Salle’s ironclad defense, 21-11. Nonetheless, the third set was awarded to La Salle after three consecutive errors on the service line by both squads, 25-13.
Extending the rally
Capitalizing off their newfound momentum, the Lady Spikers tried their best to wriggle through the cracks of the Golden Tigresses. Errors from the team in yellow forced the ball to favor the side of the Lasallians, with Laput inserting a service ace as La Salle was down by just two, 7-5. Reyes got to work behind the net, denying the Tigresses entry into the Archers’ lair, 12-10. Provido was also active, earning two straight markers with one being an ace from the service line. Del Castillo’s monster block complemented the peaking efforts of her teammates, narrowing down the lead to a point, 17-16.
The Lady Spikers had the ball rolling for them; Canino raked in three straight points. The arena was filled with cheers from both sides, where each exchange of points and lengthy rallies were seat-clinchers. With the game deadlocked at 22-all, a serving mistake from Reyes on top of all previous errors gave UST a chance to attack; and despite DLSU’s efforts, the game was forced into a fifth set, 25-23.
A close affair
Falling by a short margin in the fourth set, the Lady Spikers placed their best foot forward as they won their first point courtesy of a triple block against Poyos. Errors were beginning to show for the Golden Tigresses as Plaza scraped the net, 3-1. UST was quick to bounce back as Poyos and Jurado anchored the team’s attacking, 4-3. With the close match at hand, a scoring momentum is highly valuable as La Salle was able to make a 3-0 run courtesy of Canino, 7-3. Not backing down, the Golden Tigresses quickly overtook the lead with the help of their outstanding defense, increasing their efficiency as Pia Abbu scored from a running attack, 8-7. A deadlock ensued as Poyos took advantage of La Salle’s rotation without a libero, scoring from the crosscourt, 9-all.
The Lady Spikers remained persistent as Soreño, who came off the bench, scored from a pipe attack to bring the lead back to Taft, 10-9. In the final crunch time, Poyos showcased her composure, ending the rally with a dump ball followed by an attack error by Canino as DLSU trailed by one. A successful combination attack by Jurado against La Salle’s triple block gave the match point to España, 14-12. Despite their best efforts, the Lady Spikers succumbed to the Golden Tigresses in a tight match, 15-13.
After falling short in a nail-biting five-set thriller, the DLSU Lady Spikers set their sights on clinching a victory as they take on the UP Fighting Maroons on Sunday, March 2, at 1 pm at the same venue.
The Scores:
DLSU 2 – Canino 25, Laput 18, Provido 10, Del Castillo 8, Reterta 7, Soreño 2, Reyes 1, Malauan 0, Tolentino 0
UST 3 – Poyos 28, Jurado 17, Altea 10, Hilongo 5, Abbu 5, Carballo 2, Plaza 2, Unekwe 1, Knop 0, Banagua 0, Waje 0
Set Scores – 12-25, 25-22, 25-13, 23-25, 13-15
