With the hard-hitting Michelle Carolino struggling, Maureen Penetrante and Desiree Hernandez picked up their game a notch higher as the two combined for 24 hits, including 18 on kills that sealed the Lady Archers a third straight win in this tournament bankrolled by Shakey’s Pizza.
Carolino, named the MVP after powering the Taft-based school to the 2004 second conference title, was far from her usual imposing self as she managed to score only five hits but La Salle hardly felt it with Penetrante and Hernandez stepping up.
"Medyo okay na rin kahit hindi pa kami masyado nakaka-practice as team, dahil yung ibang players ko nasa national team," said La Salle coach Ramil de Jesus, who coaches the women’s RP squad–which includes Carolino and Penetrante–seeing action in the 23rd Southeast Asian Games slated Nov. 27-Dec. 5 in the country.
It also helped that La Salle, one of the favorites to win the event backed by Accel, Mikasa, IBC 13 and Jemah Television, played against a Lyceum squad terribly missing the services of the power-smashing Angelica Bigcas and wily libero Shella Marga.
Bigcas, the best scorer last year before the league decided to add reinforcements, re-injured her right shoulder in the first set of a 16-25, 19-25, 17-25 loss to Ateneo Thursday at the Lyceum Gym and sat out against La Salle, hastening the Intramuros-based team’s downfall.
Marga, on the other hand, wasn‚t around for unknown reasons.