Green Spikers down UST in four, earn second place tiebreaker with NU
The De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Spikers triumphed in their final Season 86 Elimination Round match, 25–20, 25–27, 25–20, 25–18, over the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Golden Tigers earlier today at the SMART Araneta Coliseum. DLSU’s victory placed them tied for second place with the National University (NU) Bulldogs at 11–3, forcing a tiebreaker for the last twice-to-beat spot.
Both UST and DLSU were neck-and-neck to begin the match, with Josh Ybanez and JM Ronquillo leading the scoring charge instantly. Long rallies weren’t uncommon as the two sets of players sacrificed their bodies after each ball despite being down by only one or two points early on. La Salle’s blocking and receiving took the spotlight in the middle of the first set, with the Green Spikers’ tallest front three getting key touches to deny Ybanez and Gboy de Vega. DLSU hit the 20-point mark first with a five-point advantage and, just one score later earned their biggest lead of the set at 21–15. Menard Guerrero’s floor defense in the late stages was crucial in saving a handful of points that could have easily gone the other way. Despite a fiery comeback charge by UST, La Salle was able to secure the lead and clean up the first frame, 25–20.
The same level of intensity carried over to the second set creating a nearly unlimited amount of deadlocks. Billie Anima’s increased minutes provided a useful defensive boost at the net, while UST’s Rainier Flor also delivered big-time blocks of his own. Errors were a growing concern for both teams especially on the service end, with three consecutive errors in the middle of the set fueling frustrations even further. La Salle and UST continued their evenly-matched play as the crowds got more riled up with tie after tie to a score of 22-all. A power tip from Del Pilar and a misreceived ball on the other side gave DLSU a set point at 24–23, but Ybanez kept the Tigers alive with an unrecoverable hit. After an extended second set, it was De Vega who finished off the back-and-forth exchange to win one back for UST, 27–25.
La Salle once again played from behind in the first part of the third set before finally breaking through around the 15-point mark thanks to a swing of fortune started by Noel Kampton’s back-to-back points. DLSU’s blocking and scoring also took another step forward with Anima continuing to play well at the front and Gene Poquita getting substantial time on court as a substitute. Ybanez was forced to the bench after an apparent injury on his way down, which the Golden Tigers struggled to come back from late in the third. DLSU quickly turned their 19–18 advantage into a 25–20 triumph, moving one set away from joint-second in the standings.
Unlike the first three sets, it was the Green Spikers that found themselves in front at the start of the fourth, with Anima being a key figure on both the blocking and spiking ends. There were also significantly less noticeable errors committed by DLSU, which were one of their biggest problems all match long. Vince Maglinao and company had their very best stretch of the entire game in the fourth with a combination of UST’s misfortunes and the Green-and-White’s exceptional play being the catalyst for their success. The Golden Tigers’ final stand was pushed back by the constant arrows rained down by Kampton, whose hot streak secured the fourth set, 25–18, and the match, 3–1, for the Green Spikers.
Support the Green Spikers as they face off against the NU Bulldogs for a twice-to-beat advantage.
Set Scores: 25–20, 25–27, 25–20, 25–18
Box scores:
DLSU 3 — Ronquillo 21, Maglinao 19, Kampton 18, Del Pilar 8, Anima 7, Poquita 0, Gloria 0, De Castro (L) 0, Guerrero (L) 0
UST 1 — Ybañez 24, De Vega 15, Umandal 12, Colinares Ed 5, Salvador 4, Flor 4, Yambao 1, Avila 1, De La Noche 1, Prudenciado (L) 0
