Lady Spikers take home Silver at Shakey’s Super League
The De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Spikers fell short of championship gold in the Shakey’s Super League (SSL) after bowing to the National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs, 23–25, 20–25, 20–25, earlier today at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
The Lady Spikers conclude their SSL run as tournament runners-up following the loss and bring a silver medal home to taft. Angel Canino was the team’s star and put up 14 points off 11 attacks, two blocks, and a service ace, alongside a series of momentum-shifting scoring outbursts which kept La Salle in the game.
Thea Gagate scored the first point of the game which sparked a 6–2 scoring run that forced NU to call for timeout. Mhicaela Belen was the main target for most of La Salle’s serves — a strategy which worked in the Green-and-White’s favor as the Lady Bulldogs were put in difficult situations on the offensive front. NU eventually levelled the score and put themselves in the lead at 7–6 before consecutive points from Fifi Sharma and Canino gave back the advantage to La Salle by the first technical timeout. Both teams remained neck-and-neck following the break, with Canino and Solomon doing the heavy lifting for their respective sides. The Lady Bulldogs hit set point at 24–21 but the women from Taft didn’t back down and brought themselves within one, causing NU to call for yet another timeout. In the end, Belen scored the final point her squad needed as the Lady Bulldogs took the first set, 25–23.
National U got off to a flying start in the second frame and streaked to an 8–3 lead by the first TTO after three service aces from Escanlar. The Lady Bulldogs continued their hot streak up until the second technical timeout where they amassed a 16–5 advantage over La Salle. Most of the starters checked back into the game at the end of the short break, which breathed new life into a set NU had run away with. The 11-point gap shrunk after each possession as a result of consistent scores on DLSU’s side and a string of costly errors from the Lady Bulldogs until La Salle found themselves just three points away from a tie at 19–22. The comeback wasn’t meant to be, however, as NU put up a sturdy block to clinch the 25th point and put them one set away from the gold medal.
It was yet another back-and-forth scoring exchange early in the third, with NU holding a narrow one-point advantage at the first technical timeout after Malaluan’s spike hit the marker. The Lady Bulldogs hit double-digits first and increased their lead to four after two consecutive service aces, but rookie sensation Canino scored four out of the Lady Spikers’ next five points to put La Salle ahead at the TTO. Following the TV break and their own timeout, National U racked up five straight as the scoreline read 20–17. The Lady Spikers once again reduced their deficit to a single point, but Belen’s squad were relentless and unleashed a final barrage of attacks to clinch the title with a 3–0 sweep.
