Lady Spikers conquer NU, finish Round 1 undefeated
The De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Spikers vanquished reigning champions, the National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs in straight sets, 25–10, 25–15, 25–21, earlier today at the SM Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena.
La Salle finish the first round with a flawless 7–0 record, their most successful start in the UAAP tournament since Season 76.
In what was arguably the most highly-anticipated game thus far, the Lady Spikers finally notched a victory over the NU core which defeated them in all four matchups back in Season 84 and in the Shakey’s Super League finals.
Marionne Alba was deservedly awarded the Player of the Game nod after a fantastic game with 20 excellent sets. In addition to the Kapitana’s brilliance, Justine Jazareno, who was a crucial reason for La Salle’s successful floor defense all game, was everywhere for the Lady Spikers and made a great deal of crucial saves which DLSU subsequently turned into points.
The game was extremely competitive right out of the gate, with both teams scoring at a rapid pace. NU garnered a narrow 3–1 advantage before a combination of errors and exceptional play from La Salle forced coach Karl Dimaculangan to call for timeout following five unanswered points for the Lady Spikers. DLSU kept their foot on the gas pedal and capitalized on the defending champs’ jittery start all the way to a whopping 16–7 lead at the second technical timeout. The girls played a nearly flawless first set on both fronts, complementing their electrifying offense with immaculate floor defense against one of the most powerful teams in recent memory. La Salle made their presence felt early on with a dominant 25–10 opening set, outplaying the Lady Bulldogs by a significant margin.
The Lady Spikers kicked off the second frame with gusto, going on a 5–1 tear before back-to-back plays from Fifi Sharma gave them an 8–3 lead by the first technical timeout. As Angel Canino and Leila Cruz’s combined scoring output already exceeded that of NU’s entire squad, Sharma entered the mix by nabbing three consecutive points of her own. A multitude of errors from the opposition accompanied by more stellar blocking by Thea Gagate gave La Salle another humungous lead at the second TTO, 16–8. The match was more back-and-forth following the short break, however DLSU’s lead proved to be insurmountable for the Lady Bulldogs by the end as the Green-and-White comfortably picked up the second set 25–15. Despite scoring more attack points than La Salle, it was the ten critical errors and poor reception on NU’s side which led to their demise.
Set three began with a tight battle on the scoreboard as both sides experienced errors and close calls up until the first technical timeout where DLSU led by just one. Efforts from Mhicaela Belen allowed NU to equalize at 9-apiece, but a 5–1 run highlighted by back-to-back scores from Gagate allowed La Salle to pull ahead. A number of errors from the Lady Spikers gave Princess Robles’ crew the opportunity to catch up and even take over the lead at 15–14. The Lady Bulldogs constantly kept themselves within reach of La Salle’s advantage, but amidst all the challenges DLSU never let victory slip away. The ever-consistent Jolina dela Cruz delivered the final point of the game to make it a 25–21 set and 3–0 sweep of the defending champions.
It will be an instant rematch in the first game of Round 2 as the Lady Spikers will square off against NU on Saturday, March 25, 5:00pm, at the Philsports Arena.
DLSU 3 — Canino 14, Sharma 12, dela Cruz 11, Gagate 9, Cruz 6, Alba 3
NU 0— Belen 12, Solomon 8, Robles 6, Pangilinan 3, Alinsug 2, Toring 2, Cagande 2
Set scores: 25–10, 25–15, 25–21
