Green Spikers hand over Game 1 to FEU
The De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Spikers (7–3) conceded Game 1 of the 2024 V-League Men’s Collegiate Challenge Finals to the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws (8–2) after four sets, 22–25, 20–25, 25–18, 19–25, earlier today at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
The Tamaraws came out strong in Set 1, with Doula Ndongala and Zhydryx Saavedra igniting an early 3–0 run, while a service error from La Salle further deepened the Green Spikers’ struggles, 1–4. Meanwhile, on the greener side of the court, Chris Hernandez, Rui Ventura, and Yoyong Mendoza continued to rally on, with the latter’s service ace finally wiping out FEU’s lead and leveling the score at 6-all. Eric Layug and Eco Adajar further stepped up to give La Salle a narrow 11–10 edge, giving way to a series of deadlocks until Saavedra managed to keep the Tamaraws in front with a mix of attack and block points, 15–18. Despite Diogenes Poquita’s late efforts, the Tamaraws reached set point with Saavedra’s attack, and although an error briefly delayed the win, Saavedra ultimately sealed it with a cross-court hit for the Tamaraws, 22–25.
A miscommunication early in the second set gave FEU the opportunity to pull ahead with a quick run, capped by Ndongala’s powerful attack, 1–4. Despite combined efforts from Mendoza and Adajar, FEU maintained a four-point cushion during the first half of the game, with Saavedra and Mikko Espartero in the court raining La Salle with powerful attacks, 9–15. Unfortunately, La Salle’s weakened floor defense throughout the set was exploited by Saavedra and Lirick Mendoza, and with the former leading FEU’s offensive charge, La Salle struggled to close the gap in the final moments of the set even after a showdown between the two Mendozas at 19–24. Shortly afterwards, a final attack error from La Salle’s Mendoza eventually sealed the second set for FEU at 20–25.
However, La Salle opened the third set with a 3–0 run led by the Ventura-Mendoza duo, and although Saavedra tried to chip away at the lead, Hernandez kept the Green Spikers in control for a 7–3 advantage. A few attack errors allowed the Tamaraws to close the gap to 7–6, but consecutive errors from Jelord Talisayan handed La Salle a comfortable 11–7 lead. Adajar led La Salle’s offense this time around as the Spiker kept their four-point edge intact heading into the second technical timeout, 16–12. Meanwhile Magalaman’s attacks, paired with FEU’s miscues, further extended La Salle’s lead to five, 19–14. After a series of exchanged errors, Hernandez delivered an off-the-block hit for set point, and another round of service errors sealed the set in favor of the Green Spikers this time, 25–18.
Despite Saavedra scoring the opening point of the fourth set, the Green Spikers managed to unleash multiple deadlocks early on. However, weakened floor defense and unforced errors continued to plague La Salle heading into the set’s first technical timeout, 5–8. After another series of errors and Ndongala’s service ace, the Green Spikers were forced to call a timeout as the latter trailed, 8–14. La Salle’s downfall was marked by a total of 13 errors throughout the set, allowing Benny Martinez to land a powerful cross-court attack for FEU’s set point at 18–24. Although Espartero’s service error briefly halted La Salle’s bleeding, Mendoza’s attack sailing beyond the line sealed the victory for the Tamaraws at 19–25.
Catch the DLSU Green Spikers as they aim to bounce back against the FEU Tamaraws in Game 2 of the V-League Finals next Wednesday, October 2, 2PM, at the same venue.
Set scores: 22–25, 20–25, 25–18, 19–25
Box scores:
DLSU 1–Mendoza 13, Hernandez 10, Ventura 9, Layug 6, Gloria 6, Magalaman 6, Adajar 3, Marata 3, Poquita 0, Retiro 0, Guerrero (L) 0, De Castro (L) 0
FEU 3–Saavedra 19, Mendoza 13, Espartero 11, Ndongala 9, Talisayan 7, Bituin 2, Martinez 1, Absin 0, Codilla 0, Ceballos (L) 0, De Guzman (L) 0
