Lady Spikers snatch fifth win at the expense of UP
The De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Spikers (5–1) secured yet another win against the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons (0-5) after three straight sets, 25-15, 25-17, 25-18, earlier today at the SM Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena.
Lyka De Leon was hailed Player of the Game with 13 excellent digs and nine excellent receptions.
Sparking the match, Captain Julia Coronel handed the court with three consecutive points off her serves, 3-0. Meanwhile, the Maroons had a shaky start as the Lady Spikers left them scrambling for the ball until Joan Monares emerged as a consistent challenger against La Salle's blockers, keeping the scores close at 6-4. La Salle opted to spice up the game, quickly switching between hard kills to soft drops to keep their moves unpredictable but still managing to keep a seven-pt lead, 13-6. A De Leon crucial save-turned-Angel Canino kill further extended their cushion to eight, 20-12, while Thea Gagate's team-scrambling attack brought the lead to ten, 24-14. A final service error by Coronel extended the set for a few seconds before a Shevana Laput kill ended the rampage for the first set, 25-15.
Despite their first set loss, Irah Jaboneta and Niña Ytang produced multiple deadlocks at the start of the second set, 2-all, while Monares consistently kept UP one step behind, 5-4. Canino's offspeed at 8-7 finally ended the deadlock curse and sparked another 4-0 run. Despite a few attack errors, La Salle managed to stay three steps ahead, 14-11, also courtesy of unforced errors from UP. Every Lady Spiker on the court became an all-around player, unleashing attacks, blocks, and saves throughout the set, which made it crucial for the Green and White to maintain a huge cushion over UP, 22-15. Canino's denial of Stephanie Bustrillo at the net was La Salle's set point, 24-16, and despite a service error briefly halting La Salle, another Canino block sealed the second set for the Greens, 25-17.
Eager to have her revenge, Jaboneta's kill was UP's first point in the last set. Despite crucial saves from De Leon to extend rallies, UP's tiemaker Kyrzten Cabasac kept erasing La Salle's progress, 3-all. But Gagate and Canino were the final set's consistent power attackers while Baby Jyne Soreño made both impressive saves and kills for the team, 15-12. The Lady Spikers had their defenses locked and secured, allowing them to extend plays while the Maroons were plagued by miscommunications, 22-15. There was a tiny back-and-forth sequence until Laput's soft drop sparked another 7-1 run, capped only by a clean kill and a block by Lilay Del Castillo, 25-18.
The DLSU Lady Spikers (5–1) will aim to finish the first round strong against the National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs, on Saturday, March 16, 2 PM, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Set scores: 25-15, 25-17, 25-18
Box scores:
DLSU 3—Canino 16, Laput 9, Gagate 8, Malaluan 6, Coronel 4, Soreño 4, Levina 3, Del Castillo 3, Provido 2, Tolentino 0, Torres 0, De Leon (L) 0
UP 0—Monares 9, Ytang 7, Jaboneta 7, Celis 6, Cabasac 4, Bustrillo 2, Magsombol 1, Goc 1, Encarnacion 0, De Guia 0, Capistrano (L) 0
