The DLSU Green Spikers were unable to avenge their Round One loss against the FEU Tamaraws, dropping another battle in four sets, 25-21, 17-25, 19-25, 22-25, earlier today, April 26, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Noel Kampton led the charge for the Green Spikers in this tough loss, tallying 16 points—all from attacks—with 16 excellent receptions. Meanwhile, Rui Ventura chipped in 15 points off 14 attacks and one service ace.
Dryx Saavedra delivered a monstrous performance for the Tamaraws with 25 points off 20 attacks, three blocks, and two service aces to sweep the head-to-head matchup against La Salle. Supporting him were Mikko Espartero and Amet Bituin, who added 15 and 11 points, respectively.
Arrows knocked
The Green Spikers started off the game blazing as Nat Del Pilar sparked the early momentum with a pair of attacks, while Kampton provided consistent offense through off-the-block hits. Both teams traded service errors, but La Salle edged ahead off a series of Tamaraw miscues, 8-5. FEU clawed back behind the efforts of Doula Ndongola, Bituin, and a service ace from Saavedra to tie the game at 13-all.
Kampton and Ventura stepped up to steady La Salle, contributing a key service ace and steady frontline presence. Errors from the Tamaraws, including a costly net touch, allowed DLSU to regain control after a tense mid-set exchange. Despite a brief FEU run, the Green Spikers held firm down the stretch. Del Pilar’s block and Ventura’s scoring built separation before Kampton capped off the set with back-to-back hits. Kampton’s composure in crunch time sealed the set for the Green-and-White, 25-21.
One step backward
Despite their success in the opening set, the Green Spikers started the second set on the backfoot as the Tamaraws showed why they are the first-seeded team. Saavedra started the scoring run for FEU with a powerful spike, while Ndongala blocked the spikers of DLSU, 3-1. With the defense of the Tamaraws clicking and the Green Spikers committing errors, the lead of the Morayta-based team started ballooning, 9-5. Saavedra continued to come to life in the second set as he challenged the defense of La Salle and successfully scored powerful spikes, maintaining a three-point advantage, 12-9.
The Green Spikers could not catch a break as their errors kept piling up and widening the gap, 17-12. Kampton stopped the run of FEU and scored a point off a backrow attack, but it was countered by a quick 3-0 run led by Saavedra, 19-14. With the Tamaraws smelling blood, they did not let the Green Spikers recover and closed out the set with Espartero’s attack, 25-17.
Defenses cracked
The third set opened with a strong start from La Salle as Kampton scored the first point, followed by a quick equalizer from FEU’s Espartero. However, it was Espartero who truly ignited the momentum midway through the set, delivering a commanding spike and a key block to push the Tamaraws ahead, 5-4. Despite La Salle’s efforts, including a point from Kampton, they continued to miss their serves, while a net touch gave FEU a larger lead. FEU capitalized on La Salle’s sloppiness, with Bituin’s ace and Espartero’s relentless attacks pushing the Tamaraws ahead, 13-8.
Although Ventura tried to spark a comeback with crucial points as he commanded both offense and net defense, La Salle’s floor defense remained inconsistent. FEU’s lead extended to three and despite a late push from La Salle, which included a few key blocks from Del Pilar, Espartero’s dominance at the net sealed the set for the Tamaraws, 25-19.
Overpowered
In the fourth set, the Taft-based squad found themselves down by three off a good defense from the team of Morayta, 3-0. Ventura stopped the scoring drought for La Salle with an attack off the blockers and an attack error for FEU, trimming the gap to one, 3-2. Both teams traded points, until a block on Kampton’s attack ended the long rally and increased the Green-and-Gold’s lead, 7-5. Series of errors from teams swung the score around, but the Tamaraws refocused and scored a quick 4-0 run, forcing the Green Spikers to call a timeout,11-7.
Vince Maglinao answered the call for La Salle with a point, but FEU continued to pounce on DLSU’s shaky floor defense with attacks from Espartero, Bituin, and Chad Absin to widen the gap, 13-9. Series of service errors for both squads persisted, but this time the Green-and-White took the opportunity to trim the lead through MJ Fortuna and Maglinao’s attacks, 15-13. Saavedra did not let the Green Spikers gain an inch of momentum and scored a crosscourt attack to further increase the lead for FEU, 20-14.
With La Salle seemingly losing confidence, the Green Spikers sparked one last run. Eco Adajar activated his middle and Eric Layug scored a quick middle attack to inch closer, 21-17. Kampton did not let the Tamaraws go without a fight. He scored a point off the blockers of FEU then denied the attack of the Tamaraws, forcing FEU Head Coach Ed Orcullo to call a timeout, 24-22. However, it was too little too late for the Green Spikers. After the timeout, the Tamaraws executed a wonderful play with Bituin scoring the winning point, 25-22.
With this loss, the Green Spikers dropped to fourth place with a 9-5 win-loss record at the end of the Elimination Round. They will wait for the result of the match between UST and NU tomorrow, April 27, to know their final seeding and matchup in the UAAP Season 87 Final Four.
The Scores:
DLSU 1 – Kampton 16, Ventura 15, Del Pilar 8, Hernandez 7, Layug 4, Rodriguez 3, Adajar 2, Fortuna 1, Mendoza 1
FEU 3 – Saavedra 25, Espartero 15, Bituin 11, Absin 8, Mendoza 8, Ndongala 4, Cacao 1
Set Scores: 25-21, 17-25, 19-25, 22-25
