Lady Spikers secure SSL National Invitationals Crown with sweep against AdU
The De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Spikers secured another championship crown as they swept the Adamson (AdU) Lady Falcons, 25-19, 25-22, 25-17, in Game 3 of the 2023 Shakey’s Super League National Invitationals Finals earlier today, at the Filoil EcoOil Center.
Determined to end the game early, the Lady Spikers quickly went on a roll with a 3-0 run but the Lady Falcons were not about to give up their championship bout as the two teams quickly exchanged leads. However, errors at the net combined with Lucille Almonte's attacks gave Adamson the upper hand, 8-11. But La Salle exhibited stronger defenses and with Alleiah Malaluan and Thea Gagate at the net, the team showcased their dominance, 19-13. Captain Julia Coronel's revival skills further extended a long rally but Aimee Provido's kill to an undefended area finally ended the set in favor of the greens, 25-19.
Following their first set loss, Adamson's defenses faltered as La Salle unleashed Shevana Laput for another early 3-0 run, 4-1. Adamson's errors gifted La Salle free points, and Provido's open kill increased the lead to 12-4. Aside from powerful kills, La Salle relied on fortified blocks to extend their lead to double digits this time, 17-7. However, the tables have been turned and consecutive errors from La Salle delayed the team from taking the set immediately. But their composure was unshaken due to their comfortable margin, 20-15, not until they had a mini scare during the dying parts of the set, 23-22. Provido quickly avenged the team, scoring another open kill for the set point, before Gagate's roof finally ended the set, 25-22.
The pressure was on the Lady Spikers to hold onto their momentum coming into the third set as Adamson prevented them from taking an early lead. However, Laput was the team's matchstick, sparking another 4-0 run, which was extended by Malaluan and Provido, 9-4. Following AdU's consecutive strikes, it was Maicah Larroza's turn for a clean cross-court attack, 12-7. With the exception of a few strikes from Adamson, the Lady Spikers still held a 21-14 lead, capped by another kill from Gagate. Although Malaluan's strong attack brought the set to match point, 24-15, back-to-back errors kept the team from tasting the championship until another strong unrevivable attack from Malaluan ended the match for good, 25-17.
The Lady Spikers also snagged the following individual awards for the pre-season tournament:
2nd Best Outside Hitter - Alleiah Malaluan
1st Best Outside Hitter - Thea Gagate
2nd Best Middle Blocker - Amie Provido
Best Opposite Spiker - Shevana Laput
Most Valuable Player - Shevana Laput
Box scores:
DLSU 3—Laput 13, Gagate 10, Malaluan 10, Provido 10, Larroza 7, Coronel 3, Soreño 3, Tolentino 1, Raagas 0, De Leon (L) 0, Espina (L) 0
AdU 0—Almonte 11, Toring 8, Juegos 8, Ancheta 6, Lalongisip 5, Bascon 3, Alcantara 0, Nique 0, Verdeflor (L) 0, Manuel (L) 0
Set scores: 25–19, 25–22, 25–17
