The DLSU Lady Spikers stomped on the UST Golden Tigresses in five sets, 15-25, 25-17, 24-26, 25-20, 16-14, bouncing back from their Round Two opener loss in their UAAP Season 87 Women’s Volleyball Tournament meeting earlier tonight, March 29, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Spearheading the Green-and-White to victory was Team Captain Angel Canino, who was recognized as Player of the Game after unshackling 27 points from 24 attacks while delivering 13 excellent digs and 13 excellent receptions. Assisting in the squad’s victorious match against the Golden Tigresses was Shevanna Laput, who nicked 16 points from 15 attacks and one block.
On the other side of the court, Regina Jurado contributed 22 points from 21 attacks with 14 excellent digs. She was supported by her teammate Angeline Poyos, who racked up 12 points from 12 attacks.
Early jitters
Eager to avenge their Round One defeat, the Lady Spikers fielded their usual starters. However, La Salle suffered a slow start as they were stunned by errors that prevented them from containing the Golden Tigresses’ attacks despite Canino’s efforts, 6-2. Coach Ramil de Jesus eventually called for an early timeout when the Taft-based quad was down by seven, 12-5.
Despite the timeout, UST continued their impressive display. La Salle tried to rely on Amie Provido to stop the yellow shirts’ run, but the team still fell behind as their deficit grew to eight, 19-11. Jyne Soreno checked in for Laput in hopes of shifting the momentum of the set. However, the Golden Tigresses continued to find gaps in the Lasallian defense as their lead grew to 10, 22-12. But even with a late successful challenge, the Lady Spikers ultimately dropped the first set as they found difficulty in stopping UST’s momentum, 25-15.
Turning the tides
After an opening-set loss, the DLSU Lady Spikers stepped onto the court, aiming to take the Golden Tigresses down a notch. Veterans Provido, Laput, and Alleiah Malaluan led the hunt, giving three consecutive markers on the Green-and-White’s scoreboard, 3-0. As the Taft-based squad bolstered their plays, UST was forced to call for an early timeout, 6-2. The Golden Tigresses aimed for a one-up, but Canino did not let this pass, widening the gap to four heading into the technical timeout, 8-4. Against the deafening cheers for the yellow jerseys, the Lady Spikers continued to dominate the court, slowly chipping away the España-based squad’s composure as they committed a costly net touch error, 13-7.
Hoping for a turnaround, the Golden Tigresses matched the Lady Spikers’ rhythm. Jurado’s crosscourt attack was quickly followed by an error from the Lady Spikers, 18-10. Aiming to lessen the bleeding, Poyos and Jurado nicked two consecutive marks in the Golden Tigresses’ scoreboard, triggering a timeout from the green jerseys.
Still, La Salle remained in control. Fresh off a timeout, Team Captain Canino showed out with a powerful attack, extending her team’s lead to 10, 20-12. UST called for a substitution, but the move did not yield much success as they struggled to erase the deficit. A costly mistake further pushed the España-based squad to the brink. The second set eventually ended on a high note for the Green-and-White after an ace from Soreno, 25-17.
Tight fight
With the game tied a set apiece, the Lady Spikers were in full throttle to grab an advantage in the third set. Laput and Canino went on an early scoring surge to give La Salle confidence; however, errors by DLSU halted their chances of extending their lead, 4-all. Rookie Mikole Reyes followed her seniors’ lead as she sparked the Lasallian hopes with a block and a trick play to give La Salle a two-point advantage at the first technical timeout, 8-6.
Both sides were plagued with errors as tensions arose on the court. But the Golden Tigresses were inspired by Cassie Carballo’s crosscourt trick play, resulting in an Athena Abbu point that forced La Salle to call a timeout, 14-12. Now that the Thomasians grabbed the two-point advantage, Coach De Jesus decided to sub in Soreno and Jules Tolentino, which proved to be a master decision. Soreno went on a scoring run by herself to give the Lady Spikers momentum, 17-15.
As UST inched closer to set point, Canino and Provido took charge to level the score and keep La Salle’s hopes alive, 21-all. However, Jurado’s late scoring blast proved to be a headache for the Lady Spiker defense as the momentum swung back to the Golden Tigresses, 23-21. Team captain Canino did not want to give up the set easily as she attacked the UST defense to force an extended third set, 24-all. Despite Canino’s resillience, late misjudgements by the Lasallians gave the Golden Tigresses an opening to steal the third set and take advantage of the game, 26-24.
Heartstopping collision
Refusing to back down, the Lady Spikers hoped to extend the match with another set victory. However, the Golden Tigresses went on a rampage, nicking two consecutive marks, 2-0. Tensions escalated as Team Captain Canino challenged referees against a successful reaching beyond the net challenge from the other court. DLSU faced another setback after a collision occurred between Laput and Canino.
Shaking off the impact, Canino slowly nipped the Golden Tigresses’ composure with an impressive down-the-line, encouraging the Green-and-White to push harder, 2-all. As both teams were on the prowl for the win, both sides traded shots, continuously pushing for a draw, 10-all. Starving for an advantage, Provido and Malaluan claimed consecutive marks for the squad to put La Salle up by three, 13-10. An attacking error from the España-based squad further stretched the gap to four, forcing UST Head Coach Kung Fu Reyes to call for a timeout., 14-10.
Team Captain Canino rallied the Green-and-White to heighten the pressure against the Golden Tigresses. Manipulating UST’s blockers, Canino forced an off-the-block, leaving the yellow jerseys shaken, 17-13. She continued to dictate the pace of the set, packing in point after point for the Taft-based squad, 21-16. Poyos shot an unrelenting cross, which was immediately followed by a block point as UST looked to steal momentum, 21-18. An attacking error from the Green-and-White, followed by an impressive strike from Poyos, triggered a timeout from the Lasallians. Despite the yellow jerseys’ fighting spirit, the Taft-based squad stood tall, ending the set with an ace from Reyes and extending the match to a fifth set, 25-20.
Laput’s clutch moment
With everything on the line, both teams were giving it their all in hopes of stealing the win. The Lady Spikers created plays for stars Laput and Canino, who were ready to take charge late in the game. The Golden Tigresses targeted Canino in their attacks during a long rally, but the former MVP remained stable in her receptions, opening up Laput for an easy attack, 5-all. Nerves were evident as errors piled up for both sides, but La Salle remained more composed to take the lead before switching courts, 8-7.
Jurado and Pia Abbu were not fazed by the Lasallian lead as they found gaps in the DLSU defense to tie the game, 9-all. The formidable duo of Laput and Canino remained unstoppable as the Thomasians were unable to find solutions for their attacks, 12-11. However, Poyos and Jurado stole back the advantage as they got past the Lasallian blockers, forcing La Salle into a timeout, 13-12. Despite the lead loss, Laput came up clutch in the final moments, putting the icing on the cake on a crafted revenge win over UST with her power attacks and monster block, 16-14.
After the game, Laput shared that beating UST had been on the team’s mind for the past year: “This has been a long time coming. This has been something we have been wanting ever since last year.”
Assistant Coach Noel Orcullo revealed that after the fourth set, the coaching staff simply told the players to fight for the win and the result will follow, “Sabi nga namin kanina noong nakuha yung fourth set, gustuhin niyo lang pagdating sa fifth set. Gustuhin niyo lang manalo.”
(We told them when we got the fourth set, just show the desire to win in the fifth set. Just show the desire to win.)
With this win, the Lady Spikers improved to a 6-3 record. They hope to build on this hard-fought victory when they take on rivals ADMU Blue Eagles on Wednesday, April 2, at 1 pm at the same venue.
The Scores:
DLSU 3 – Canino 27, Laput 16, Provido 12, Malaluan 10, Soreno 5, Reyes 4, Retereta 3, Ordiales 2, Del Castillo 1, Rodriguez 0, De Leon 0, Raagas 0, Tolentino 0, Santos 0
UST 2 – Jurado 22, Poyos 12, Hilongo 9, Abbu 7, Plaza 6, Carballo 4, Banagua 2, Cordora 1, Altea 1, Knop 0, Pepito 0, Escober 0, Waje 0, Unekwe 0
Set Scores: 25-15, 25-17, 26-24, 25-21, 16-14
