La Salle sweeps UAAP volley crowns

De La Salle completed a sweep of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) volleyball crowns Wednesday, beating University of the Philippines (UP) in the men’s contest and dethroning Far Eastern U (FEU) in the women’s side.

Both title victories were also achieved via sweeps of the race-to-two series at the UP Human Kinetics gym in Diliman. The volleyball crowns also hiked to four De La Salle’s championships this season. The Green Archers won the men’s chess title and also ruled women’s swimming late last month.

The Archers went an hour and a half against the tournament host UP Maroons, 20-25, 25-15, 25-16, 25-14, while the Lady Archers had an easier time disposing of an under-manned FEU Lady Tamaraws crew, 25-17, 25-17, 25-17.

De La Salle’s title conquest in both divisions was a fulfillment of a goal it failed to achieve last season. The Taft Avenue-based school finished runner-up to Santo Tomas in the men’s and FEU in the women’s in 2002.

Center-spiker John Lee Patrona and spiker Desiree Hernandez completed De La Salle’s domination of the league’s 66th season by running away with the Most Valuable Player trophies in both men’s and women’s divisions.

The Lady Tamaraws, who swept the same team in last year’s finals, played without key players Joan Bunag and Monica Aleta, who reportedly were called to duty by the Philippine Navy where they are enlisted to play in an Armed Forces of the Philippines tournament.

The Green Archers, on the other hand, wore down the spirited Maroons with their excellent blocking throughout the one and a half hour contest.

UAAP Season 66 president Jose Capistrano Jr. was joined by De La Salle team manager Philip Ella Juico and Guillermo Jose of the De La Salle sports program in the awarding of the trophies to the Archers.

The Green Archers got the edge over the Maroons in Game One Sunday, 25-22, 19-25, 25-22, 25-12, while the Lady Archers moved ahead of Lady Tamaraws, 16-25, 25-19, 25-20, 25-23, also in Game One of their own series.