UAAP: Lady Spikers make Finals return after sweeping UST in virtual best-of-three

The DLSU Lady Spikers finished off UST Golden Tigresses in four sets, 25-22, 11-25, 25-21, 25-21, in the UAAP Season 87 Women’s Volleyball Tournament Final Four to mark their return to the Finals earlier tonight, May 3, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Team Captain Angel Canino once again took reins in the victory, tallying 19 points from 17 attacks and two blocks. Amie Provido and Shevana Laput followed her lead, putting up 15 and 14 points, respectively. Alleiah Malalauan also contributed on both ends of the court with nine points, 15 digs, and 10 excellent receptions.

For the Golden Tigresses, Ange Poyos and Reg Jurado proved to be a headache for the Lasallian defense as they scored 22 and 21 points, respectively.

Picking up where they left off

Fresh from their playoff win last Wednesday, the Lady Spikers and Golden Tigresses wasted no time trading points as they left no opening for their opposition to gain advantage. The Lasallian offense focused on the left wing early on as Canino and Provido were the recipients of Mikole Reyes’ sets, which proved to be effective as La Salle led by two, 6-4. However, errors started to show for DLSU, giving UST the opportunity to score from attacks more as Jurado started to find her scoring touches, 10-all. With the Thomasians catching up, Laput joined Canino and Provido’s scoring party to give the Lasallians the lead at the second technical timeout, 16-12.

The Lady Spikers were confident after the timeout, however, Jurado and Poyos found gaps in their defense, combined with two La Salle errors which cut the lead to one and forced the Taft-based squad to call a timeout, 17-16. A Malaluan block iced UST’s momentum, allowing Laput and Provido to once again extend La Salle’s lead with their vicious attacks, 22-19. A late UST 3-1 run cut La Salle’s lead to one, but the signature double substitution of Jules Tolentino and Jyne Soreño for Reyes and Laput was enough to finish the set in favor of the Lady Spikers. With fresh legs on the court, Tolentino sets up Canino for a crosscourt hit before a Poyos attack error gave La Salle the first set win, 25-22.

Momentum shift

DLSU found themselves trailing early in the second set as UST ramped up their offense, primarily through the efforts of open hitter Poyos. The Lady Spikers managed to score only through two successful attacks and a handful of unforced errors from the Golden Tigresses. They entered the first technical timeout behind by four, following a service error from Canino, 8-4.

The Taft-based squad struggled to catch up as they failed to contain UST’s cohesive offensive display. Poyos, along with Maribeth Hilonggo, Pia Abbu, and Mary Banagua, delivered a strong performance under the direction of playmaker Casie Carballo, forcing DLSU to call a timeout with a double-digit advantage, 23-11. Then, with UST at set point, La Salle challenged for a block touch in hopes of stalling the inevitable, but the challenge was unsuccessful and UST closed out the set decisively, 25-11.

Pulling away

The third set turned into a thrilling tug-of-war as both squads refused to give an inch. Malaluan opened the set strong with three straight points to give La Salle the advantage, 4-1. It was a head-to-head battle marked by a flurry of intense rallies and quick exchanges, with neither team allowing the other to gain a comfortable lead. The score remained neck and neck for most of the set, reflecting the grit and determination on both sides of the court. UST and La Salle showcased sharp offensive plays and tight defensive coverage, with every point hard-earned. However, it was UST who held the advantage at the second technical timeout after a Jurado attack point, 16-15.

No team was able to build a comfortable lead as they were only able to build one-point advantages before the other team tied the game again. As the set neared its climax, La Salle began to find its rhythm. Anchored by steady floor defense and strategic ball placement, they gradually created separation. Canino, rising to the occasion once again, sealed the set with a decisive kill, giving La Salle the 25–21 edge and a crucial momentum shift heading into the next frame.

Ticket booked

The Lady Spikers struggled to get things going in the fourth set, immediately being dealt a four-point deficit with attacks from the Thomasians being on point that forced La Salle to call a timeout, 4-0. After the timeout, La Salle took over with a 5-0 run as Provido and Laput took advantage of the gaps in the UST defense with their attacks, capped off by a Malaluan service ace, 5-4. The Lady Spiker maintained their lead as Team Captain Canino followed her teammates’ efforts with a block and an attack point, 11-9. However, Jurado came alive once again, leading a UST charge to regain the lead 12-11. But, the Lasallian starting unit was unfazed, immediately regaining control of the match as all players contributed a point each to lead at the second technical timeout, 16-13.

The Golden Tigresses immediately closed the gap after the break, forcing La Salle to call for their own timeout. Malaluan scored back-to-back points after the timeout to restore the Lasallians’ confidence, 18-15. However, UST was not backing down as Poyos and Jurado once again found their way with the Lasallian defense to tie the game, 20-all. But DLSU was set on ending the match; Provido, Laput, and Canino put the finishing touches to bring La Salle to set point, 24-20. With the Lady Spikers at set point, Poyos gave the Lasallians the win with her service error and marked the Lady Spikers’ return to the Finals after a one-year absence, 25-21. 

After the game, Head Coach Ramil de Jesus shared his emotions from the win, but emphasized that there is work still to be done, “Medyo happy, kasi sa umpisa, slow start and ang tagal [nila] mag-adjust, [pero] eventually nagpa-ikot agad ako ng mga setters so nakita ko naman na nag-work. [And] in-expect ko pa na mas maka[ka]galaw sa sunod na game, so marami pa kami[ng] dapat ayusin.”

(I am a bit happy, because it was a slow start and it took time to adjust. But eventually I rotated the setters and I saw that it worked. I expect for them to have more mobility in the next game, so there are still some thing to be fixed.)

For Provido, it was a vengeful game for the team, with last year’s elimination still fresh in their mind, “Siyempre sobrang saya kasi nakabawi na kami sa UST. Pinaghandaan talaga namin ito kasi gusto talaga namin sila bawian from last season na tinalo nila kami.”

(Of course, we are happy because we struck back at UST. We really prepared for this since we really wanted revenge after they defeated us last year.)

Malaluan shared that the Final Four is where the games begin as their coaches told them and they have to work harder despite returning to the Finals, “As coach said sa’min, sa Final Four pa lang nag-start yung tunay na laban and job’s not yet done. So sunod na araw, mag-training kami, aralin namin, [and] pagbubutihin namin.”

(As what coach told us, the Final Four is where it really starts and job’s not yet done. So in the coming days, we will train, we will study the opponent, and we will work to be better.)

For Canino, UST still deserves credit for their efforts to return to the Finals but shares that the Lady Spikers were adamant at reaching their goals, “Siyempre yung UST hindi talaga madaling kalaban. Kasi gusto rin ng UST makabalik ng Finals, pero siyempre mas ginusto rin namin kasi we have a goal for the team.”

(Of course UST is not an easy opponent. They want to return to the Finals, but we also wanted it because we have a goal for the team.)

Following this win, the Lady Spikers return to the Finals for the 21st time. They meet a familiar foe in the NU Lady Bulldogs and wait for the schedule of their clash.

The Scores:

DLSU 3 – Canino 19, Provido 15, Laput 14, Malaluan 9, Del Castillo 4, Reyes 1, Reterta 1, Soreño 1 De Leon 0, Ordiales 0, Tolentino 0, Santos 0

UST 1 – Poyos 22, Jurado 21, Abbu 5, Banagua 4, Hilongo 3, Carballo 2, Waje 1, Pepito 0, Altea 0, Plaza 0, Unekwe 0

Set Scores: 25-22, 11-25, 25-21, 25-21