The DLSU Lady Spikers stopped the blazing surge of the FEU Lady Tamaraws in a formidable clean sweep victory, 25-17, 25-20, 25-22, launching them as solo third to end Round One of the UAAP Season 87 Women’s Volleyball Tournament earlier tonight, March 15, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The six-foot-two opposite hitter Shevana Laput was the lynchpin who spearheaded the Lady Spikers to victory as she unshackled 22 big points off 18 attacks, three blocks, and an ace to be hailed Player of the Game. Alleiah Malaluan and Angel Canino were the hidden gems of the night as they each stuffed the stat sheets with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
The Morayta-based squad, limited to single-digit contributions only, was led by Faida Bakanke, who notched nine attacks of her own. Alongside her was Gerzel Petallo, who unleashed eight points off six attacks, a block, and an ace in their losing yet valiant efforts.
Tension to domination
The DLSU Lady Spikers stepped up in the packed arena, determined to close Round One on a good note. The veterans held the ship early on as Malaluan and Lyka De Leon showed early defensive stops with their rotations, giving Canino an opening for a down-the-line hit, 2-1. The Taft-based squad continued to lock in with their defense to raise the momentum of the team and to force the Lady Tamaraws to call an early timeout, 5-1. As the Morayta-based squad fights to seize control of the set, Laput shut them down with a crucial block, sending her team into the technical timeout up by five, 8-3. The matchup continued to live up to the hype as Jean Asis made her presence felt with a statement point, but Team Captain Canino asserted herself from the back row with a kill and a fierce stare, 12-7.
Tension in the arena rose even higher after the technical timeout as Mitzi Panangin and Amie Provido showcased their skills for La Salle, 18-11. However, DLSU began to commit errors, giving the Lady Tamaraws an opportunity to turn the tides and score a crucial block point, 20-14. As the first set neared its end, the gap widened despite heated net exchanges and a tense staredown between Bakanke and Malaluan, with the Lady Spikers pulling ahead by eight, 23-15. However, Chenie Tagaod and rookie Lovely Lopez reignited the Tamaraw’s grit, slashing the deficit to six, 23-17. Still, Malaluan’s focus remained sharp while her composure was unshaken. Her relentless offense, combined with Laput’s towering defense, secured DLSU’s first-set victory, 25-17.
Snapped the second horn
After a promising start, the Lady Spikers looked to add fuel to their fire by blocking the charge of FEU in the second set. The second set started out even, with Bakanke’s back-row bombs giving the Lady Tamaraws a two-point lead early on, 7-5. But Lasallian setter Mikole Reyes orchestrated good ball distribution, as both ends of the court saw contributions from Laput’s above-the-blocker hits and Malaluan’s evasive down-the-line hits to quickly turn the tables in favor of the Lady Spikers, 10-9.
From then on, the Lady Spikers struck while the iron was hot as four straight freebies from the opposing side extended the lead to five, 15-10. Despite being down by a fairly large margin, the Lady Tamaraws refused to fold as they executed consecutive points from all scoring facets to cut La Salle’s lead to two, 20-19. Just as FEU began to threaten DLSU, Laput denied her opponents such pleasure, soaring with the three final attacks from a back row bomb, crosscourt slice, and a down-the-line dagger to snatch the second set for the Green-and-White, 25-20.
Geared up, heads up
The third set initially saw restricted movements and tense muscles, which opened the flow of errors for both teams. Eventually, the exchanges between the Lady Tamaraws and Lady Spikers set the tone for an FEU lead, 3-1. Provido drilled one mightily to establish dominance, but Jazlyn Ellarina swiftly denied the run, 5-2. Amid rallies of aces, errors, and offensive exchanges, the Taft-based squad struggled as Asis protected the net, allowing FEU to hold on to a four-point lead at 8-4. A timeout pushed the reset button for the Taft-based team as Laput stepped up with back-to-back points, 9-7.
Malaluan cleared the path in both offense and service, setting up a way for Canino and Laput to bounce the court with hammers to make the scoreline tighter, 13-12. Errors piled up on both sides of the court, leading to five deadlocks as the two teams tried to sway away complacency. Laput turned up the gears to seize the lead. However, the Lady Tamaraws tried to claw back some points, until a successful challenge credited to Asis tied the set at 19-all.
Despite FEU getting close late in the set, the Taft-based squad went on a relentless run. Flawless in both service line and third-ball attempts, the Lady Spikers forced an FEU timeout, 21-19. The game neared its ending as Ellarina squeezed one crucial point. But in the blink of an eye, Laput answered back to bring La Salle closer to match point, 23-21. As tension peaked and subsided, end-game mind games took over for the Green-and-White with Reyes sealing the match with a crafty point, 25-22.
After ending on a dominating note, Head Coach Ramil De Jesus gave credence to the Lady Spikers’ commitment to the game plan with precise focus despite the lack of time and rest. Meanwhile, as the team steadily climbs up the ranks, Canino is confident that La Salle is on the right track, “I think nasa tamang path naman po kami. Pero at the same time, kaya nga sinasabi namin lagi na every game parang mayroon kaming nakukuhang bagong lesson and para makatulong na maka-improve sa team. So, nandoon na kami pero may mas ilalabas pa po kami,” the team captain said.
(I think we’re on the right path. But at the same time, that’s why we always say that in every game, we can learn a new lesson and help improve the team. So, we’re at a good place but still have more to show.)
In the wake of a victorious matchup against the FEU Lady Tamaraws, the Green-and-White concluded the first round as the third seed in the standings with a 5-2 record. The eagerness continues as they gear up for the second round of the tournament.
The Scores:
DLSU 3 – Laput 22, Malaluan 12, Canino 10, Provido 8, Del Castillo 2, Reyes 1, De Leon 0, Rodriguez 0
FEU 0 – Bakanke 9, Petallo 8, Panangin 6, Asis 6, Ellarina 4, Ubaldo 5, Lopez 3, Tagaod 1, Monares 1, Miranda 0, Encarnacion 0
Set Scores: 25-17, 25-20, 25-22
