The DLSU Green Spikers soared past the AdU Soaring Falcons in a four-set fiasco, 25-20, 27-25, 24-26, 25-17, in their Round Two matchup in the UAAP Season 87 Men’s Volleyball Tournament earlier today, April 23, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Rui Ventura, emerging as the Player of the Game, steered the offensive prowess of La Salle, tallying 19 points built on 17 attacks and two blocks. Noel Kampton aided this cause with an all-around performance: 26 points from 21 attacks, four blocks, and a service ace. Team captain and libero Menard Guerrero manned the defense department with 10 excellent digs and 19 receptions, flaunting a 73.08-percent receiving efficiency.
Jude Aguilar and Dan Gutierrez pioneered Adamson’s scoring, marking 17 and 16 points, respectively. Leo Coguimbal also contributed defensively, racking up eight markers, with four coming from blocks.
Finding command
The Green Spikers started the opening set on a rusty outing, handing out two consecutive points after their blockers were unable to contain attacks from Marc Paulino and Aguilar, 2-0. The Taft-based squad quickly straightened up with a crosscourt attack from Chris Hernandez, while consecutive errors by AdU evened the set, 3-all. Gutierrez, spearheading the Soaring Falcons’ offense, traded points with Kampton, with the former’s tip attack retaking the lead for AdU, 6-5. DLSU then snatched the lead through an attack by Eco Adajar, which was followed up by a net touch by AdU to increase La Salle’s lead, 8-6. Hernandez and Kampton would score consecutive points, setting the tone for the rest of the set. DLSU extended their lead to three as they continued to find their flow with consecutive attacks from Kampton and Nat Del Pilar, 13-10.
The Soaring Falcons would still respond with consecutive points to trim the lead through attacks from Coguimbal and successful blocking, 13-12. However, this did not deter La Salle from remaining in control of the set as Kampton chipped in with consecutive points, punctuating with a service ace. Hernandez also contributed an attack of his own to increase their lead to four, 16-12. The Green Spikers, with Ventura leading the charge, got a grip of control throughout the set, quickly answering back against Adamson’s attempts to gain momentum. A service error by AdU put the Green Spikers on match point, yet they made up for it with a quick point from Ronn Domingo. Regardless, DLSU ended the set with an attack from Joshua Rodriguez to take the first set, 25-20.
Seizing by a thread
The DLSU Green Spikers dug deep late in the second set, forcing an extended match before edging the set win. La Salle played catch-up for the whole set as Adamson rallied an early three-point cushion with Gutierrez’s off-the-block hit, 5-2. Kampton’s clever placing and Ventura’s deep crosscourt trimmed their deficit to one. However, the Soaring Falcons clawed back varied attacks to push their lead back to three, 14-11. Following this rally, the tension in the latter part of the set became intense, marked by eight deadlocks.
Lasallian wing hitters chipped in spikes from the left pin, leveling the score at 15-all. Kampton, meanwhile, pummeled consecutive shots, keeping DLSU in contention. A crucial error then put AdU back on top, 19-18. The middle blockers took center stage, trading fast hits and convincing blocks. Ultimately, it was Coguimbal’s decisive denial on Kampton that allowed the Soaring Falcons to seize a narrow lead, 23-21. Gutierrez’s pipe attack earned Adamson a set point, but steady defense by Guerrero and Kampton’s subsequent conversion forced a 24-all deuce. Del Pilar’s stuffed block and Hernandez’s tip then clutched the second set, 27-25.
Minor misstep
The third set began with both squads exchanging points. Kampton spearheaded and pushed the Green Spikers’ offense, yet La Salle would struggle with attack errors as well as breaking through AdU’s wall, equalizing the match at 6-all. DLSU would take the lead with Ventura’s attack, followed up with consecutive points from Hernandez who was displaying his capabilities on both ends, 9-6. Both sides of the taraflex continued to trade points, with the Green Spikers maintaining their control. Their lead inflated to four following a successful challenge for an attack that went outside, 14-10. Adamson would avenge their failure with an attack by Ahmed Tahiluddin. A net touch error by the DLSU that followed right after would cut the lead to two.
Both squads continued going back-and-forth. Kampton again showcased his King Spiker outing, contributing consecutive points to cap off a long rally, increasing DLSU’s lead to three. The Soaring Falcons were able to respond with consecutive points of their own to slice their deficit to one, with the latter coming from Tahiluddin. He would once again contribute for Adamson as he shifted the momentum to the Falcons’ favor, deadlocking the third set and forcing La Salle to call a timeout, 21-all. AdU would capitalize on this opportunity as they took the lead with a service ace. However, Ventura would put the set at a deadlock once again with a down-the-line attack. Gene Poquita would then come in for Adajar in hopes of closing the set and the match for La Salle, but would commit a service error and give AdU back the lead. DLSU came through with consecutive points with a crosscourt attack from Ventura and a block by Eric Layug to take the lead, 24-23. Despite this, the Soaring Falcons scored three consecutive points to steal the third and extend the match to a fourth set, 26-24.
Dropping the curtain
Eager to finish the final chapter of the game, the Green Spikers clipped the wings of the Soaring Falcons after a convincing fourth-set duel. La Salle opened strong with an unanswered burst with their heavy serves, pressuring Adamson into early miscues, 4-0. However, the Falcons quickly responded, as clever attacks from Aguilar and Team Captain John Gay sparked a 7-3 rally, knotting the score at 7-all. Following a tight exchange, a rejection at the net against Hernandez prompted La Salle to burn a timeout while trailing by one, 11-10. Layug’s consistent float serve and Ventura’s aggressive swings helped the Green Spikers slowly regain control, pulling ahead by three, 17-14.
Gutierrez emerged as the lifeline for Adamson, squeezing a pipe attack into the Lasallian blockers. Yet, his efforts fell short as La Salle seized full control with an 8-0 run, ushering the Green-and-White to match point, 24-15. A service error from Del Pilar and an attack misfire by Layug kept the Falcons alive briefly, but a solid block on Gutierrez sealed the deal for DLSU, 25-17.
After their victory against the AdU Soaring Falcons, DLSU Head Coach Jose Roque reflected on the aspects needed to be improved upon, specifying the mental aspect and finding the right recipe. “It’s more on [the] mental [aspect] nalang ‘yung kailangan naming [ayusin]. The technique and skills nandodoon. It’s just that naghahabol kami, paano kami maglaro as a team. ‘Yun ‘yung somehow nagiging struggle namin: finding the right recipe or para makumpleto ang anong klaseng laro ang ibibigay ng DLSU.”
(It’s more on the mental aspect that we need to work on. The technique and skills are there. It’s just that we’re chasing after how we play as a team. That is somehow our struggle: to find the right recipe or complete what kind of display DLSU can give.)
Agreeing with Coach Roque’s sentiments, Kampton also shared his sentiments on the match as well as the needed adjustments as they head into the Final Four. Given the lapses from the game, he stated the need to take leadership in defining each other’s role in the team. “‘Yung game namin against Adamson, halata naman na parang nag-relax [kami] eh. Siguro ang need namin is ‘yung maglelead sa team, sinong magsuscore, ‘yung kanya-kanyang role. ‘Yun ang kulang namin.” Kampton gave props to the opponents for the hard-fought match and expressed his gratitude for the win.
(In our game against Adamson, it seemed obvious that we relaxed. I think what we need is who will lead the team in aspects such as who will lead the team, who will score, knowing their role. That is what we are lacking.)
As momentum shifts to their favor, the DLSU Green Spikers are on the quest to close out the Elimination Round with a win against the league-leading FEU Tamaraws this Saturday, April 26, at 11 am at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Scores:
DLSU 3 – Kampton 26, Ventura 19, Hernandez 11, Del Pilar 8, Layug 6, Adajar 3, Rodriguez 3, Mendoza 1, Guerrero 0, Magallanes 0, Poquita 0, Fortuna 0, De Castro 0
AdU 1 – Aguilar 17, Gutierrez 16, Paulino 9, Coguimbal 8, Tahiluddin 5, Domingo 4, Gay 3, Ballon 2, Obeda 2, Canlas 0, Menor 0, Bermudez 0, Hiltones 0, Cuadra 0
Set Scores: 25-20, 27-25, 24-26, 25-17
