Despite a spoiled straight-set victory, the DLSU Lady Spikers tamed the NU Lady Bulldogs in a four-set thriller, 25-21, 25-19, 19-25, 25-17, capping Round 1 of the UAAP Season 88 Women’s Volleyball Tournament with a sweep, earlier tonight, March 15, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Middle blocker Amie Provido led the charge for the Green-and-White with 12 points, mounted on 10 attacks and two blocks. Team Captain Shevana Laput backed her up, carving 19 points from 15 spikes, three blocks, and an ace. Angel Canino also erupted for 14 points while posting a 45% reception efficiency, with Vida Caringal adding nine markers on an outstanding 73% attack efficiency.
Commanding the pack for the Lady Bulldogs was Rookie Sam Cantada, who came off the bench and scored 13 points from ten attacks, two blocks, and an ace. Cham Maaya and Celine Marsh also contributed to NU’s bid, tallying 10 and nine points, respectively.
Setting the tone
The Lady Spikers seized control from the opening stretch, denying the Bulldogs any chance to grab the lead. Provido opened the scoring board with a donut-hole drop shot, but an error and a Bulldog ace immediately tied the match at 2-all. After a brief exchange of points, Canino delivered successive hits before Laput added a back-row spike to give La Salle an 8-5 cushion. The Taft-based squad maintained its advantage with a steady barrage of middle attacks, highlighted by Caringal’s quick conversion, 14-11. Despite NU staying within striking distance behind Marsh and Vange Alinsug, Kaye Bombita’s attack error allowed DLSU to reach the second technical timeout ahead.
Both teams went back-and-forth once again in the latter half of the set, with Shane Reterta’s service error trimming La Salle’s lead to one, 19-18. The Lady Spikers, however, banked on smart hitting, sparked by Provido’s quick tip to push DLSU to the 20-point mark. Three NU errors, coupled with Canino’s down-the-line hit, gave the Green-and-White a four-set-point buffer, which allowed Eshana Nunag to seal with a one-two play and hand DLSU a dominant opening, 25-21.
One set away
Coming off a stable showing in the opening canto, the Lady Spikers continued their redemption rampage with good ball distribution and minimal errors in the second set. An impenetrable wall from the Laput-Provido duo left the defending champions scrambling for an offensive response. However, several desperate attempts by the Bulldogs forcibly went wide, handing eight freebies to the Lady Spikers, who limited their errors to four.
Urgently needing a bandage, Lady Bulldogs super rookie Cantada entered the taraflex for the first time, quickly unleashing a hit-out as DLSU held on to a three-point cushion, 7-4. Cantada continued to make a difference for the white shirts as she rejected two Laput attempts to keep NU in close contention, 14-10. However, Laput’s reliable presence from all corners of the court proved to be unshakeable as the surging Lasallians maintained control by the tail end of the set, 20-15. With help from the foes’ unforced errors on top of Nunag’s crucial ace, the Lady Spikers snatched the second set and were only a set shy of notching a statement win over the reigning champions, 25-19.
Momentum spoiled
Despite holding the early advantage, La Salle could not contain NU’s late surge, dropping the third set to the Lady Bulldogs. DLSU opened the third leg with attacks from the left pin to take a 2-0 lead, but NU answered back with attacks from the opposite to tie the match at 3-all. Canino’s middle hit restored a slim edge, before Laput’s attack sent La Salle into the first technical timeout ahead, 8-6.
After the break, both teams traded points with La Salle initially on top but consecutive errors allowed NU to level the set at 11-all. A drop ball from Alinsug forced La Salle to call a timeout as the Lady Bulldogs seized a one-point lead. Provido’s quick hit briefly kept DLSU within reach, but Cantada proved to be unstoppable, pummeling varied spikes. NU stretched its advantage to as much as six, capitalizing on La Salle’s shaky reception to lead, 21-15. Canino’s down-the-line hit briefly stopped the bleeding at 21–16, but the Lady Bulldogs dominated the closing stretch, finishing the set with a service ace, 25–19.
Comeback denied
Hungry for quick vengeance after their third-set breakdown, DLSU wasted no time in concluding their first-round sweep with an early runaway despite late-game jitters in the fourth canto. La Salle immediately stuffed the scoreboard as Canino’s diverse stash of attacks, Caringal’s reliable showing in filling in the absent Lilay Del Castillo’s shoes, and NU’s plague of errors launched a massive 15-1 run for the ladies in green to enjoy a comfortable 12-point gutter at the kick-off, 15-3.
But with a huge lead to their disposal, the Lady Spikers started to seem complacent as NU surged on with reawakened offense and capitalized on the sudden breakdown in discipline from the opposing side, launching a 13-3 run that quickly erased the daunting lead down to two at the homestretch of the set, 18-16. However, Player of the Game Provido took the initiative to deny the Bulldogs a comeback as her quick placement shots handed the Lady Spikers the match for a flawless Round 1 campaign, 25-17.
Despite a huge gap left by Del Castillo’s absence due to medical reasons, rookie Caringal took the call to step up not as a replacement but as a reliable middle blocker in her own right: “It’s a big privilege na pinagkatiwalaan ako ni Coach Ramil [de Jesus] at pinagkatiwalaan din po ako ng mga coaches na kaya kong mag-perform at lumaban para sa team. Humugot nalang po ako ng kumpiyansa para [r]oon.”
(It’s a big privilege that Coach Ramil and the other coaches trusted me to perform and fight for the team. I just drew confidence from that trust.)
Hot off a sweep in the first round of the tournament, the DLSU Lady Spikers look to stay flawless in Round 2 as they prepare to face the Shaina Nitura-led AdU Lady Falcons on Saturday, March 21, at 3 pm at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
DLSU 3 – Laput 19, Canino 14, Provido 12, Caringal 9, Reterta 5, Nunag 3, Santos 1, Cabradilla 0, Reyes 0, De Guzman 0, De Leon 0
NU 1 – Cantada 13, Maaya 10, Marsh 9, Panique 7, Mata 6, Alinsug 5, Bombita 2, Pono 1, Jardio 1, Lamina 1, Serneche 0,
Set Scores: 25-21, 25-19, 19-25, 25-17
