The Lady Archers threw a two-, three-player defense on the power-hitting Bualee, who averaged in the 20s before the finals but was held to just 17 hits in a game that hardly looked like a championship match.
"We managed to neutralize Bualee, that was one of the keys," said La Salle coach Ramil de Jesus.
Jindarat Kanchana, still hobbled by a knee injury, lost to Bualee in a duel of Thai imports with 13 points but the De La Salle locals outplayed their counterparts with Desiree Hernandez, a two-time UAAP MVP, playing true to form and Michelle Datuin and Manilla Santos stepping up with solid games to clinch the straight-set victory in the event presented by Shakey’s Pizza.
Hernandez chipped in 12 hits while the comely, solid-hitting pair of Datuin and Santos added nine and eight points, respectively, for La Salle, now a win away from re-staking their claim as the No. 1 women’s volley team in the land.
De La Salle guns for the clincher in Game Two of their best-of-three showdown at 2 p.m. today after the individual achievement awards set at 1 p.m. A deciding Game 3, if necessary, will be played on Tuesday.
Earlier, Cherry Rose Macatangay fired 30 hits as Adamson downed Lyceum, 18-25, 25-18, 25-15, 25-19, to clinch third place honors in the event organized by Sports Vision and backed by Accel, Mikasa, Aquabest, VFresh, ABC-5 and ABC Sports.
The win more than made up for its four-set loss to San Sebastian in their knockout duel for the last finals berth Thursday and it should augur well for the school’s campaign in the upcoming UAAP season.
"I’m proud of our achievement because we finished third in our first conference in the V-League," said Adamson mentor Dulce Pante, who steered the Lady Falcons to a pair of runner-up finishes in the UAAP and the University Games last year.
San Sebastian coach Roger Gorayeb blamed his wards’ lack of mental toughness for the setback.
"Physically, we have the talent to compete with La Salle but mentally, they’re stronger," said an exasperated Gorayeb in Filipino. "It’s really my players’ mindset that’s dragging us down, we can’t play like this in a championship. It’s really embarrassing."