Lady Spikers edge NU in Round 2 opener; extend perfect record to 8–0
The De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Spikers kicked off their second round campaign in victorious fashion, sweeping the National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs 26–24, 26–24, 25–16, earlier today at the Philsports Arena.
La Salle’s win marks back-to-back triumphs over the defending champions following their 3–0 sweep at the end of Round 1 last Wednesday, March 22. Veteran Jolina dela Cruz was named the Player of the Game with her 12 points and nine excellent receptions.
The game started off as a back-and-forth affair, with NU claiming a one-point lead at the first technical timeout after Alyssa Solomon’s spike was too much for Justine Jazareno to control. A combination of errors and proficient attacking for both teams caused the score difference to remain within a narrow margin. Leila Cruz went down to injury in the middle of a rally at the 12–12 mark, which prompted Jyne Soreno to check into the ballgame.
DLSU held a 16–15 advantage at the second TTO and forced NU to call for timeout at 20–17, which was their largest lead of the set. La Salle were three points away from clinching the first set at 22–19, however two consecutive scores from Solomon forced returning coach Ramil de Jesus to call a timeout. The Lady Spikers only needed a single point to take a 1–0 lead, but NU’s unwavering efforts brought the game to a stalemate at 24–24. A service ace from Angel Canino secured the 26–24 set for DLSU after a tightly-contested bout.
The Lady Bulldogs streaked to a commanding 5–1 lead early in the second, highlighted by four points coming from Mhicaela Belen. Staring down a large deficit early on, La Salle quickly turned things around and embarked on a 7–1 run en route to the first TTO of the set with both Canino and Soreno scoring two apiece. DLSU garnered a four-point lead at the 13–9 mark and eventually reached the second technical timeout up 16–13, with Belen’s offensive prowess keeping NU in the fight. The contest went all the way to 24–24 similarly to the first set, and it was once again the Lady Spikers who took home the set following Canino and Fifi Sharma’s kills.
La Salle got off to a 5–1 lead at the beginning of the third and maintained their four-point advantage all the way to the first technical timeout. Errors on NU’s side severely hurt their scoring opportunities and gave the Lady Spikers their largest lead of the game at 15–6. DLSU inched closer to the three-set victory as each rally came and went, but the Lady Bulldogs remained firm and did not make it easy for the Green-and-White. Ultimately, it was superstar rookie Canino who wrapped up the final set 25–16 and made it back-to-back sweeps over the reigning champions for La Salle.
The Lady Spikers will be back in action on Wednesday, March 29, 2PM at the SM Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena where they will face off against the Far Eastern University (FEU) Lady Tamaraws.
