Lady Spikers topple UE in five-set thriller
The De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Spikers (9–1) emerged victorious against the University of the East (2–8) in a hard-fought five-set battle, 25–23, 21–25, 25–17, 22–25, 15–12, earlier today at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
After struggling to find their rhythm throughout the game without the reigning rookie MVP Angel Canino, the Taft Towers Thea Gagate and Shevana Laput paved the way for the Lady Spikers, scoring 22 and 21 points respectively against UE’s warrior spirit led by Kc Cepada’s 23 and Casiey Dongallo’s 20 points.
The defending champions started hot in the first set with a three-point run led by Julia Coronel and Alleiah Malaluan, 3–0. Both teams traded blows until DLSU led at 7–5, but the Lady Warriors fought back with Dongallo and Claire Castillo propelling UE to take the lead at the first technical timeout, 7–8. Dongallo suddenly erupted with three consecutive aces, taking a three-point lead against the Lady Spikers to force a timeout from coach Ramil De Jesus. UE continued to press on the squad from Taft, consistently holding on to their lead with quick plays from Angelica Castillo, Riza Nogales, and Cepada to secure a four-point cushion by the second technical timeout, 12–16. Meanwhile, the Lady Spikers struggled to find their rhythm in the middle of the first set as Madriaga’s commands at the net led UE, where coach RDJ once again called time with DLSU down at 14–19. The Lady Warriors continued to press on La Salle, gaining a seven-point lead. From there, the Lady Spikers suddenly went on a three-point run, 17–21, led by Amie Provido and Gagate. La Salle continued to turn up the heat as they rained five more arrows to take the lead at 22–21, forcing another timeout from the Lady Warriors. After re-strategizing, Cepada ended the eight-point barrage from DLSU to tie it at 22-all, but the combination plays commanded by Coronel proved to be too much as Laput secured the first set for DLSU, 25–23.
As the second set began, a different turn of events came around as neither team wanted to give the lead, exchanging blows and blocks at the net to lock it at six-all. Neither team wanted to give the advantage, but Madriaga came up with a drop out of nowhere to put UE on top during the first technical timeout, 7–8. Following this, an endless trade of spikes and blocks emerged from both squads, tying the score up multiple times as Laput and Jyne Soreño faced Castillo and Dongallo until Nogales took the lead for UE at 15–16. The Lady Warriors continued their run with Cepada securing a three-point cushion to force a timeout from DLSU, after which UE continued their barrage to lead at 18–21. Then, Maicah Larroza and Julyana Tolentino were subbed in at the latter part of the set, where Larroza’s kill forced a timeout from the Lady Warriors. Following this, the squad from Taft pressed on the gas pedal, as a Gagate hit equalized the score, 21-all. However, UE matched the Lasallians’ energy to win battles at the net, with Dongallo landing back-to-back aces to conclude the second set at 21–25, evening the match at one set each.
With the set scores tied up, the Lady Spikers decided to open the third set with a four-point run that gave them an early lead, 4–1. However, the Lady Warriors refused to let up as Cepada’s ace tied the set at four-all. Despite the effort, the Lasallians emerged with fiercer spirits as they pinned a three-point cushion at the first technical timeout with a Provido kill to lead at 8–5. From then on, Larroza, Laput, and Malaluan took the reins to give La Salle a five-point separation at 13–8. Momentum was freely flowing for DLSU, increasing the separation to 18–11 with a Gagate quick attack forcing a UE timeout. The defending champions then held on to the lead with Gagate, Malaluan, and Soreño commanding the floor where they increased the lead to eight at 22–14. Despite rekindling their strategies, the Lady Warriors struggled to defend against the attacks of DLSU, and Laput soon ended the third set, 25–17.
The Lady Spikers found themselves in a rough spot early in the fourth set, down by three at 3–6. Despite the effort to catch up, the lead remained at three in favor of UE at the first technical timeout, 5–8. After recharging their arrows, the Lady Spikers emerged with a three-point run driven by Larroza to tie it at eight-all. A flurry of attacks, blocks, and combination plays then emerged from both sides, trading points until UE gained the lead, 13–16, with a Dongallo block. From then on, the teams continued to exchange points as La Salle tried to cut the lead, but UE ended up forcing the former to a timeout with a block from Nogales, 15–20. Down five, the Lady Spikers continued to chip at the lead as Larroza scored two consecutive kills, 17–22. Looking to force a fifth set, UE upped their tempo with Cepada taking the lead via attacks that were too tough to receive. But controversy emerged as a late positional fault was called against UE, giving La Salle a chance to catch up at 22–24 with a Malaluan block on Dongallo forcing another UE timeout. Despite the Green and White’s momentum, UE secured the fourth set after a Dongallo kill, 22–25, to force a final set.
The pressure in the big dome was heating up for both squads, and the final set began with the defending champions scoring two consecutive points. Looking to protect the lead and up the pressure, the Lasallians continuously rained arrows on UE as Malaluan and Gagate gave the Lady Spikers a 4–1 lead. From there, DLSU continued to fight out each point, never breaking on extended rallies as they increased their cushion to 7–2 led by Provido and Larroza. Refusing to give up, UE suddenly erupted for a three-point run to cut the lead to just two, 7–5. Despite the effort from the Lady Warriors, La Salle secured the lead with a Laput kill at 8–6 before switching courts. The Lady Warriors attempted to catch up with Cepada winning jousts at the net, but Laput and Provido protected the net and secured kills to force a UE timeout leading by three, 12–9. The match became even more intense as the attacks became tougher to dig, but the Taft Towers protected the net, 14–9. With DLSU holding a match point, UE managed to go on a two-point outburst from Dongallo, forcing a La Salle timeout at 14–11. Despite the valiant efforts from the Lady Warriors, Gagate soon secured the set at 15–12 and the match at 3–2 with a miraculous drop-shot.
Catch the Lady Spikers back in action against the National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs on April 14 at 4 PM at the SM Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena.
Set scores: 25–23, 21–25, 25–17, 22–25, 15–12
Box scores:
DLSU 3— Gagate 22, Laput 21, Malaluan 12, Provido 11, Larroza 10, Soreño 4, Coronel 3
UE 2— Cepada 23, Dongallo 20, Nogales 9, Balingit 8, Castillo 7, Madriaga 3, Nierva 1
