In a repeat victory for the UST Golden Tigresses in four sets
Games on Saturday
(UST Quadcentennial Pavilion)
9am – AdU vs UE (Men)
11am – AdU vs UE (Women)
1pm – NU vs Ateneo (Men)
3pm – NU vs Ateneo (Women)
undefeated De La Salle University (DLSU) moved into the playoffs with a 25-12, 18-25, 25-23, 25-14 comeback victory over the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in the UAAP Season 88 women’s volleyball match on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
After splitting the first two sets, the DLSU Lady Spikers made a telling 13-3 rally in the third set to erase an 8-point deficit and set the stage for an easy shutout en route to a 9-0 record.
La Salle, with five games to go, secured a play-off for one of the last four and could clinch the victory with a win over the University of the Philippines this Sunday. The automatic final ticket, awarded with a 14-0 sweep, plays heavily for the Lady Spikers.
Angel Canino, who ran third in the MVP race, outlasted rival Angge Poyos in another marquee battle with 17 points on 15 shots and two blocks highlighted by seven digs and five receptions.
Fellow scorer Shevana Laput, who finished sixth in the MVP derby after missing two games in the first round, scored 14 while Shane Reterta (10), Amie Provido (9) and Lilay Del Castillo (7) also contributed.
League leading scorer Eshana Nunag fueled La Salle’s attack with 20 sets on top of her three pointers and four digs while libero Lyka De Leon had 11 digs and 10 receptions.
It took La Salle one hour and 52 minutes to win but they did well against Santo Tomas following a 25-14, 25-15, 26-24 sweep in the first round.
La Salle slowly but surely melted the upper hand of Santo Tomas 20-12 in the third set after a strong kick set by Ms. Canino’s crosscourt hit. Mrs. Reterta had an ace while Del Castillo denied a goal before finishing La Salle 3-0.
It was all La Salle from there, taking a 7-0 advantage in the fourth set en route to its best start in two seasons.
“It was a battle of great endurance. Who wanted more, who could last the longest in terms of a positive attitude, and in terms of aggression,” added Ms. Laput, slowly returning to a positive state as La Salle tried to escape the last four-string race.
Mrs. Poyos had his usual all-around numbers with 20 points, 12 receptions and seven digs but the UST Golden Tigresses suffered a costly loss to fall 5-4 to No. 4.
Regina Jurado (12) and Nigerian middle blocker Blessing Unekwe (8) added assists for Santo Tomas, who could join champion National University (6-3) and second-placed Far Eastern University (6-3) in the top-scoring to get the coveted incentive of a double-header in the finals.
In the men’s category, Ateneo (5-4) also got the fourth place alone after winning 25-19, 25-27, 25-22, 25-20 over Adamson (2-7) and 25-18, 30-28, 25-23 over Santo Tomas (6-3 ppree-4 of four games), which is four games for Lana and dropped to fifth. – John Bryan Ulanday
