The DLSU Lady Spikers stayed poised amid an intense clash as they fended off the FEU Lady Tamaraws in a five-set victory, 25-17, 25-22, 23-25, 19-25, 15-10, in Round Two of the UAAP Women’s Volleyball Tournament earlier tonight, April 8, at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Angel Canino earned Player of the Game honors in the hard-fought conquest, converting an all-around performance of 24 attack points with 13 digs and 10 receptions. Team Captain Shevana Laput and Amie Provido also paved the way with 25 and 17 points, respectively.
On the other end, Lovely Lopez boosted FEU’s offense with a sizable 16-point contribution, alongside Gerzel Petallo and Faida Bakanke with 14 and 10 points, respectively.
Second wind
With La Salle looking to extend their unbeaten streak and FEU contending for a Final Four slot, the match commenced with a service ace from the Lady Tamaraws and stunned the Lady Spikers’ reception. Amid the roars of a full-force Lasallian crowd and an early 3-1 deficit, DLSU showcased championship-level performance: Laput and Canino conquered with back-to-back spikes, tips, and deflections that pierced the FEU front coverage to put the game at 7-3.
After the uncontested 6-0 run, the Green-and-White took their foot off the pedal as FEU surprised the reception yet again, this time with consecutive service aces from Jazlyn Ellarina and Bakanke. Coupled with unforced errors, the Lasallian momentum was quickly stopped in its tracks, with both teams neck-and-neck midway through the set. La Salle’s front-court coverage was superb at denying spike attempts, but rear reception proved to be a fatal flaw, evidenced by the spikes and service aces that FEU notched.
As both teams neared the 25-point mark, DLSU eventually took a foothold late into the set as they activated their second wind, led by a fiery hot Provido, tying the game up at 15-all. Provido went on an individual 5-0 scoring stint through lightning fast spikes down the middle that FEU could not handle. The performance inspired her teammates further, as Laput and Canino rejoined the frame, with the latter finishing off the set with her signature cross-court spike, 25-17.
Well-oiled machine
The Lady Spikers’ exceptional poise on defense stemmed from their steady net defense, which proved to be a problem for the Morayta-based squad. After successfully forcing an attack error and notching a block, the energy soon moved toward the offensive side. Nunag’s masterful orchestration rewarded Canino with a successful attack off two, with Laput knotting the Lasallian run with an ace, 7-4. As the game rolled forward, the Lasallian hitters showed consistent court awareness, with Canino’s offensive prowess pushing the scoreline to 17-11.
Tides turned immediately as Petallo powered the Lady Tamaraws with high-speed, down-the-line attacks to spark their momentum. A mixture of powerful and finessed attacks that shot to the back row and split through blockers erased the lead, taking the set back to ground zero, 20-all.
The Green-and-White fought back through Provido’s sustaining hot hand. With the set at arm’s reach, the Lasallian faithful erupted as Provido outsmarted the tamaraw defense yet again with a power touch. An FEU attack flew wide on the following play, putting the set to rest at 25-22.
At the brink
With the set point at hand, the Lady Spikers were determined to finish off the match. At the same time, the Tamaraws’ resolve was unwavering as Petallo opened up the set with a spike into the back lane. The Green-and-White were read like a book; their backcourt was open, prone to long, powerful spikes, while the frontcourt lacked sufficient coverage, leading to points past the defense’s hands. With a La Salle offense flowing through Laput only, the yellow shirts attacked from all angles, eventually putting the score at a 9-5 deficit early on.
The clash did not stop there for the Lady Spikers, as the FEU barrage continued while riding on a deafening FEU crowd, inflating the deficit, 14-7. La Salle Head Coach Ramil De Jesus went for defense over offense, prompting a change in pace by putting a lengthy Del Castillo in for blocks, which paid off with immediate impact. DLSU also began to tire out the FEU defense with long rallies to put them into a daze. The Green-and-White threw a combo of spikes and attacks, from Laput and Provido, along with point cushions from opponent errors to finally tie the set with the first deadlock at 16-all as they clawed their way back.
With reinvigorated Lasallian fans behind their back, the two sides went back and forth, with Laput retaking the lead with her spike and Canino leading the set late with her crosscourt heroics. As the Lady Spikers were at the brink of victory, the Tamaraws had other plans. Christine Ubaldo blocked the set point attempt three consecutive times from the same side, bringing FEU back into the match and tying the game at 23-all. Ellarina then put a devastating dagger with a service ace, followed by DLSU succumbing to the nerves of the set, as the Taft-based squad fell, 25-23.
Morayta mania
Bouncing back from the previous set, Laput and Canino fired on all cylinders for DLSU for a quick 6-2 advantage. While Ubaldo initiated for FEU with an off-speed attack, Lopez forced an attack down the line to bypass the Lasallian wall, tying the game at 7-all. Canino’s undying attacking presence tried to keep the Lady Spikers afloat but what came after for FEU grew into a larger problem that kept DLSU at their lowest scoring set in the match.
The window swung open for the Lady Tamaraws as they took advantage of DLSU’s defensive lapses. Lopez and Petallo led the FEU charge that pushed the lead as far as nine. As the latter scored off the block to cap off the FEU run at 20-11, forcing De Jesus to call time out. Immediately after, a lengthy rally ensued that brought the crowd to their feet, with Canino securing the tough marker for DLSU.
While fatigued, La Salle continued to fight, where a barrage of attacks from Laput, Provido and Canino breathing in new life into the set and closing the gap, 23-19. However, the clock ran out on the Green-and-White’s comeback, proving that the late surge was not enough to bridge the gap. The frame then dwindled to a 25-19 conclusion, forcing a high-stakes fifth set.
Down the wire
After two intense sets, the match headed down the wire with the Lady Spikers’ flawless record on the line. Laput opened the final set with a long-range spike into the backline, while Provido quickly followed with back-to-back power taps to stun the defense by evading the FEU reception. It was clear that both teams were already struck with the uneasing nerves as both DLSU and FEU committed consecutive errors, until Canino stepped in for a crosscourt hit, putting La Salle at a 7-3 advantage as victory was within arm’s reach.
With the nail-biting set nearing its end, it was still anyone’s game. Ellarina struck back with a block to deflect the Green-and-White’s spikes. Petallo abused DLSU’s lack of frontcourt coverage and Ubaldo hit it home with a service ace, 9-7. Still, it was the experience of being in these moments that separated La Salle from the rest. Four heroes would emerge from the fray with Provido’s power tap that lobbed all over the FEU defense, Reterta’s service ace that stunned the entire arena, Laput backrow hit for set point, and finally, Canino’s signature left wing crosscourt spike to finish off the set, 15-10, all in succession, as the Lasallian crowd echoed across the Mall of Asia Arena. Despite the comeback from the Tamaraws, the unbinding resolve from the entire team lifted the Lady Spikers into the victory, maintaining their unblemished standing.
Following a grueling five-set showdown filled with errors, the Lady Spikers felt the weight of pressure firsthand. For Player of the Game Canino, seeing through adversity emphasized something more valuable than any stat or win could bring—going back to their roots and learning from their mistakes.
“More on balik kami ‘doon sa basics, tsaka balik kami ‘doon sa kailangang focusan, lalo na may game kami agad this Saturday. Kailangan talaga naming linisin kung ano ‘yung nagawa naming mali sa court,” the former rookie MVP shared.
(More on going back to the basics, and going back to the things we need to focus on, especially since we have a game this Saturday. We need to clean up on our mistakes on the court.)
With this fierce showdown behind them, the DLSU Lady Spikers now look forward to their next matchup against rivals ADMU Blue Eagles on Saturday, April 11, at the FilOil EcoOil Centre.
The Scores:
DLSU 3 – Laput 25, Canino 24, Provido 17, Del Castillo 6, Reterta 4, De Jesus 1, Nunag 1, Buenaventura 0, Cabradilla 0, Caringal 0, De Guzman 0, De Leon 0, Ewis 0, Reyes 0, Rodriguez 0, Santos 0
FEU 2 – Lopez 16, Petallo 14, Bakanke 10, Ubaldo 9, Ellarina 8, Loresco 7, Devosora 4, Pendon 2, Asis 0, David 0, Encarnacion 0, Miranda 0, Panangin 0, Pons 0, Ramos 0, Suplico 0
Set Scores: 25-17, 25-22, 23-25, 19-25, 15-10
