Lady Spikers blitz Tams

On doorstep of three-peat

MANILA, Philippines — It wasn’t a five-setter this time around but La Salle still had to summon its championship poise before scoring a 29-27, 25-21, 25-22 victory over hard-fighting Far Eastern to move on the cusp of a three-peat in the UAAP Season 80 women’s volleyball tourney yesterday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The experience from playing their 10th straight finals appearance coming in handy, the composed Lady Spikers outsteadied the gritty but erratic Lady Tams in three tightly fought sets to claim Game One in front of a 14,293-strong crowd and close in on a grand-slam and their 11th overall tiara.

Kim Dy punched in 10 in a balanced scoring for DLSU that saw May Luna come off the bench to deliver nine, most of them in crucial stretches, and Majoy Baron and Tin Tiamzon add eight apiece.

“During the elims parehong hirap kami sa FEU. Siguro kung hindi namin nakuha ang first set, hindi magkaganon yun. Kasi kahit five-point lead, hindi yan score para sa FEU, sa kanila pag gumalaw sila nang tama, dire-diretso yan, Sabi ko gumawa lang tayo nang tama (FEU has given us a hard time since the elims, where we played two five-setters. Perhaps had we not taken the first set, it would have been another five-setter because we knew once FEU got things right, they will go on a roll. I told them to just do things right and we’d be okay),” said DLSU coach Ramil de Jesus.

The Lady Spikers stormed to a 14-7 headstart in the first but the Lady Tams fought back and caught up at 16-16 and engaged the holders to a furious battle to the finish.

DLSU eventualy closed it out on its third set point but not before having to save set-point itself twice. Then the La Sallians had to climb back from 2-6 deficits in both the second and third sets before getting the clincher.

“Sabi ko sa kanila, susi dito ay magtyaga, huwag natin i-give up kahit anong situation, defense man yan, blocking, attack, importante wag mag-give-up (I told them the key here is to be patient; never give up on any situation, whether its on defense, blocking or attack),” said De Jesus.

“Actually yung first set ang pinakamahirap na part, doon ka kukuha ng kumpyansa; kung anong gagawin mo, yun ang magiging pace ng laro. Good thing nakuha namin ang first set (The first set is actually the hardest part because that would dictate the pace of the game. Good thing, we got the first set),” said Baron.

The Lady Tams’ inexperience showed in their 34 errors throughout the 1-hour 33-minute contest. In contrast, DLSU committed 21 miscues.

“Sa finals kung sino less ang errors yun ang mananalo (In a finals series, the team that commits fewer errors has the upperhand),” said FEU’s George Pascua.  “Isa pa iyong experience. Sabi ko sa kanila, kapag ang player sa crucial part, nagservice error, ibig sabihin, hindi pa siya sanay sa ganoong klaseng scenario (Experience was also a factor. I told them committing service errors during crucial stretch just shows the player’s inexperience in such situations).”

Heather Guino-O paced FEU with 14 while Bernadeth Pons scored nine.

Over in men’s play, National U put the cuffs on Ateneo’s scoring machine Marck Espejo to romp off with a 25-20, 25-19, 25-23 victory and inch closer to the diadem. 

The Bulldogs held Espejo to 16 points – way below the record 55 and 37 he  normed in their Final Four win over Far Eastern.