A grueling loss marked the start of the Round Two campaign for the DLSU Lady Spikers in the UAAP Season 87 Women’s Volleyball Tournament after being defeated by the NU Lady Bulldogs in four sets, 19-25, 25-22, 20-25, 18-25, earlier tonight, March 23, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
In a valiant effort, Shevana Laput rallied the Lady Spikers with 19 points off 16 attacks, a block, and an ace. Backing her up was Team Captain Angel Canino’s 15 points, while Lyka De Leon held the defense with an impressive 11 excellent digs and 16 excellent receptions.
On the Blue-and-Gold side, Team Captain Michaela Belen showcased her MVP form, finishing with 23 points from 17 attacks, four blocks, and two aces. Alyssa Solomon and Vangie Alinsug supported Belen’s effort with 19 and 11 points, respectively, to seal NU’s elimination series sweep over La Salle.
Error plagued
In the highly-anticipated second-round matchup, DLSU fielded their usual starters as they gazed for a Round One revenge against the Lady Bulldogs. However, the reigning champions accelerated to distance away from the Taft-based squad with an early defensive stunt by Solomon to deny Laput, followed by a down-the-line hit to give NU the early lead, 3-0. As Canino, Amie Provido, and Laput occupied the front line, their rotations blurred out the momentum of the Lady Bulldogs. Canino then showcased her offensive prowess and defensive over-the-net action to tie the game, 4-all. The neck-and-neck showdown continued with exchanges of errors from both sides. The Lady Bulldogs surged ahead as the Lady Spikers struggled to find a rhythm with their errors. Alleiah Malaluan tried to answer back, displaying crafty responses, but Belen’s three consecutive points pushed the squad from Jhocson to a dominant lead, converting digs into efficient offensive plays, 12-7. Lapses in blocking allowed the Lady Bulldogs to disrupt the receiving pattern as Belen added two straight aces, pushing the lead to six, 15-9.
With two timeouts burned and a technical timeout not enough for a full regroup, free points rained down on the NU side, 18-13. The injection of Jyne Soreño and Jules Tolentino was not enough to stabilize the defense, leaving Canino to carry the offense alone. Momentum was now fully on the Lady Bulldogs’ side with a deceptive, confident combination play from Belen extending their lead to eight, 23-15. In response, Laput, Malaluan, and Mikole Reyes managed only a sporadic 4-0 run, 23-19. Despite their grueling efforts, the errors invalidated the runs, allowing Belen and Solomon to take charge of the set one with full authority, 25-19.
Bounced back
Despite the slow start, the ladies from Taft took the momentum from the end of the first set and started the second set strong with a quick lead off a Canino attack off the blockers of NU, 3-1. The defense of the Lady Spikers clicked and made it hard for the Lady Bulldogs to find a hole as their errors piled up and forced them to call a timeout, 5-1. The team from Jhocson started scoring points with Solomon who answered the call with a crosscourt attack, 5-2. Despite that, the early lead provided leverage for the Lady Spikers as the Lady Bulldogs exchanged point after point, 7-3. Laput sent La Salle up top in the first technical timeout with an off-the-block attack, 8-4.
After the technical timeout, NU found momentum and sliced the lead of DLSU to two off Belen’s block from Reyes’ dump ball, 8-6. Lady Spikers showed their composure, as Malaluan scored a point after fooling the blockers of the Lady Bulldogs with an off-speed attack followed by an NU error, 10-6. A back-and-forth affair happened as both teams rattled point after point but La Salle survived and came ahead after the second technical timeout off Laput’s emphatic backrow attack, 16-13. As errors from National University continued to pile up, La Salle comfortably built a five-point lead from a Solomon attack error that forced NU to call a timeout, 20-15. The ceasefire worked wonders as the Lady Bulldogs cut the lead to three, with Reyes’ service error giving Solomon the opening to convert a crosscourt attack, 20-17. As NU cut the gap, Head Coach Ramil De Jesus called a timeout, which proved effective in stopping the Lady Bulldogs’ run as Canino scored a point off an over receive, 21-17. With the defending champion inching closer, Laput and Canino closed out the set with powerful hits from the backrow and one-two play, respectively, to tie the game one set apiece, 25-22.
Highs and byes
Running high from their second-set win, the Taft-based squad rotated on the Taraflex with less tension. After Canino opened up the set, both sides traded blows with no side gaining advantage with each deadlock, 4-all. The defending champions played in an attempt to snatch momentum away from the Lasallians, but Laput denied scoring from Malaluan’s defensive effort, while Provido tied the game with her signature block, 9-all. The Lady Bulldogs veterans Solomon and Camilla Lamina showcased their familiarity, pulling away from the Lady Spikers’ fading dominance. However, Provido pressed in with a block to Belen, awakening the dormant force of the Taft-based squad as NU’s lead was now at two, 12-10. However, Alinsug’s back-to-back points tickled in to create distance, loosening the Lady Spikers’ defense and causing a domino effect that led to multiple errors, 16-11.
There were no signs of stabilized momentum for the Green-and-White as the Lady Bulldogs’ dominance made pressure steaming out of the Lady Spikers playing catchup, 17-12. Malaluan and Canino stepped up into leadership roles, attempting to close the gap and challenge the Lady Bulldogs’ bolstered lead, but Belen remained unstoppable, pushing hard and maintaining control for the Jhocson squad, 21-16. Provido on top of the net backed up by Canino tried to outdo the opposite side, but the Blue-and-Gold ultimately ended the third set in their favor, 25-20.
End game
NU started the set with determination and scored three straight points after Belen’s block on Laput’s attack, 3-0. With back-to-back errors from the Lady Bulldogs, the Lady Spikers clawed their way back, 4-3. La Salle found a way to score over the tight defense of NU as Malalaun challenged the blockers to score a point, 5-4. It was a seesaw battle until the first technical timeout, but Alinsug’s service ace gave NU a two-point lead, 8-6. NU continued their stellar play both offensively and defensively as DLSU struggled to score a point, 11-6. Laput stopped the bleeding after the first technical timeout in the fourth set from her backrow attack, 12-8. The Lady Bulldogs’ offensive play was showcased in the later part of the set, as they executed combination play for Belen to distract the blockers of Lady Spikers, 14-9. Back-to-back errors from Canino and Reyes sent NU ahead into the second technical timeout, 16-11.
Canino and Laput lifted the spirits of the Lasallian crowd with their powerful attacks and closed the gap to three from NU, 19-16. But with consecutive attack errors from La Salle, NU got a much-needed cushion as they inched closer to closing the game, 22-17. A crucial net touch error for La Salle gave NU the win and the sweep of the season head-to-head series, 25-18.
After dropping their first game in the second round, the DLSU Lady Spikers will look to bounce back and avenge their Round One defeat against the UST Golden Tigresses this Saturday, March 29, at 5 PM at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Scores:
DLSU 1 – Laput 19, Canino 15, Provido 9, Malaluan 7, Del Castillo 3, Reterta 2, Reyes 2, De Leon 0, Ordiales 0, Rodriguez 0, Soreno 0, Tolentino 0
NU 3 – Belen 23, Solomon 19, Alinsug 11, Pangilinan 7, Mata 4, Panique 2, Lamina 1, Bello 0, Maaya 0, Marsh 0, Pono 0, Toring 0
Set Scores: 19-25, 25-22, 20-25, 18-25
