The DLSU Green Spikers failed to close out their UAAP Season 87 Men’s Volleyball Tournament Round One campaign on a high note, faltering to the undaunted FEU Tamaraws in four sets, 25-22, 21-25, 22-25, 19-25, earlier today, March 15, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Coming forward for the Green Spikers was outside hitter Noel Kampton, who rained an impressive 18 points from 16 loaded attacks, a block, and an ace. Also sustaining La Salle was Rui Ventura, who delivered 15 points composed of 14 attacks and one block.
On the other hand, Mikko Espartero led the charge in sealing FEU’s seventh consecutive win of the season, bulking the stat sheet with a massive 27 points from 21 attacks and five blocks. Double-digit scorers Jelord Talisayan and Lirick Mendoza also supported the Tamaraws, registering 17 and 13 points, respectively.
Seeking vengeance
The Green Spikers were determined to exact revenge against the FEU Tamaraws after being unable to secure a win against them in the previous season. Drawing first blood for La Salle was Nathaniel Del Pilar, with an attack from the middle, which was followed by an error on FEU’s end that gave them the early lead, 2-0. The Morayta-based squad quickly caught up with DLSU as they gained momentum courtesy of Dryx Saavedra and Espartero’s efficient attacks, 6-all. Despite the close scoring, FEU was heavily plagued with errors, limiting their opportunities to spark a scoring run and proving that the fight required an overall team effort. Later on, Eco Adajar showed himself as an offensive setter to secure his second attack point to give DLSU a five-point advantage, 12-7.
With a change in FEU’s setter, Ariel Cacao successfully activated all his attackers as Talisayan scored through a flaw in La Salle’s iron-clad defense, 14-10. Despite the Tamaraw’s tall frontline, Michael Fortuna’s clever ball placement gave La Salle a four-point cushion, 21-17. The first set ended in favor of the Green Spikers as the double substitution of Gene Poquita and Ventura proved effective in gaining their winning points, 25-22. The DLSU Green Spikers triumphantly limited FEU’s first set performance to 22 points, 16 from attacks and six from DLSU’s errors.
First fall
Energized by their opening-set triumph, the DLSU Green Spikers claimed the first point of the second set with a decisive off-the-block hit from King Spiker Kampton, 1-0. However, the formidable Tamaraws quickly leveled the score as they broke through La Salle’s blockers on their third attempt with the help of Saavedra, 1-all. The teams continued to trade points, matching each other’s pace, until FEU started to gain momentum while DLSU committed costly errors. The Tamaraws took control after a powerful spike from Saavedra, sandwiched by two mistakes from the Green Spikers to give FEU a three-point lead, 9-6. The Tamaraws then maintained the distance between them and the Taft-based squad, ensuring that DLSU would not claim two consecutive sets, as a three-point disadvantage persisted for DLSU throughout the set, 15-12. Proving their might, FEU escaped the grasp of La Salle further with back-to-back points from Saavedra to the corner and Talisayan from the back, combined with an attack error from Fortuna, 18-13.
Despite this daunting margin, the Green Spikers kept up their fighting spirit. The Green-and-White reached two steps away from the Tamaraws with a strategic substitution. Poquita came in to serve the ball that was difficult to receive for FEU, putting them out of play and eventually ending with the Tamaraws being blocked by an assertive Kampton, 20-18. La Salle tried to keep FEU within their reach and deny them from winning a set as Joshua Rodriguez rejected Espartero’s powerful spike, inching closer to a deadlock, 22-21. After their statement point, the Green Spikers could no longer capitalize any further as they committed a violation that prompted FEU to close the set on an opportunistic 3-0 run, 25-21.
Seesaw affair
After struggling and falling in the previous set, the third set was a battle of tenacity—both teams were eager to gain a set advantage. La Salle found an efficient spark plug in Ventura, scoring against FEU’s Espartero, though the Tamaraw answered back with back-to-back points, 3-all. DLSU’s defensive efforts were commended as seasoned libero Menard Guerrero ushered in floor defense, which Kampton translated to excellent offense to drill in an attack, 7-5. Keeping the match close, FEU rained a 4-0 run as Cacao and Espartero scored from block points followed by a drop ball by Espartero, bringing the Green Spikers to a fragile advantage, 15-14.
The seesaw match ensued as La Salle’s defense remained stable, with Kampton finding an empty spot in FEU’s defense to bring the game to a 16-all deadlock. With tensions rising, La Salle found itself in a dangerous position, unable to build momentum in scoring as Espartero and Mendoza anchored FEU’s scoring frontline. However, Ventura quickly registered a score yet eventually fell victim to an unforced error right after, 21-all. An overreceive by La Salle allowed FEU’s Talisayan to drill the ball in, handing the third set to the Tamaraws, 25-22.
Rulers rule
Hoping to force a fifth set, the Green Spikers entered the court with high determination. The early minutes of the fourth set saw deadlock after deadlock, with both teams answering each other back with their deadly attacks. Rodriguez stood out for green shirts, ensuring that DLSU got to the higher ground first with his dagger, 4-3. However, Espartero rose to the occasion for the Tamaraws to even out the score after finding a wide-open spot, 4-all. After Ventura committed an attack error that put DLSU behind, he quickly made up with an off-the-block to chase the Tamaraws’ tail, 8-7. Feeling the heat of the moment, Ventura attempted to score another marker with a crosscourt attack but was blocked by a towering Doula Ndongala, 9-8. To cap off this personal play, Ventura reversed the roles and scored one of his own by denying Espartero entry, 9-8.
Despite their best efforts, the Green Spikers eventually fell behind after Espartero unleashed tricky service aces that left La Salle dazed with a large margin, 17-10. Working vigorously for every point, DLSU cut down the lead to three with a 3-0 run, as Kampton listed two consecutive points with off-the-blocks and Ventura found space between the blockers, 19-16. However, FEU showcased their utmost desire to end their first-round campaign on a perfect run, with Player of the Game Espartero marking the last point with a final attack that the Green Spikers could not return over the net, 25-19.
After a three-game winning streak, the DLSU Green Spikers could not sneak a victory past the dominant FEU Tamaraws. In hopes of improving their standing, the Green-and-White will resharpen their arrows as they await the Round Two schedule of the UAAP Season 87 Men’s Volleyball Tournament.
The Scores:
DLSU 1 – Kampton 18, Ventura 15, Rodriguez 8, Fortuna 7, Maglinao 7, Del Pilar 5, Adajar 4, Guerrero 0, Hernandez 0, Mendoza 0, Poquita 0,
FEU 3 – Espartero 27, Saavedra 17, Mendoza 13, Talisayan 9, Ndongala 6, Cacao 2, Absin 0, Ceballos 0, Martinez 0
Set Scores: 25-22, 25-21, 25-22, 25-19
