La Salle storms into finals

MANILA, Philippines —  Just guts and sweet sweep.

La Salle essayed a tough, dramatic 27-25, 15-25, 23-25, 25-23, 15-13 come-from-behind win over reigning champion National U and sealed an outright finals berth with a 14-0 elims sweep in the UAAP Season 88 women’s volleyball before more than 16,000 fans last night at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The Lady Spikers overcame a 21-23 deficit in the fourth set and proved to be the steadier squad down the stretch with a 2-0 finishing kick for a two-round wipeout and an automatic entry into the best-of-three finals – the first since 2014.

Overall, it’s La Salle’s 22nd finals appeareance as one of the country’s most successful volleyball programs, triggering a stepladder Final Four.

Up match point after a Shevana Laput kill, La Salle was whistled for four touches to send it to deuce – until a challenge revealed a net touch by NU’s Arah Panique first. Point La Salle. Game. Sweep.

“At least, nakuha namin, na-sweep namin,” said La Salle deputy Noel Orcullo. “Talagang ginusto ng mga bata. Lamang NU nung fourth set pero kinapitan talaga namin. ’Yung puso nandoon. Alam namin mahirap at kailangang tiyagain.

“Sa dulo, breaks of the game na lang. Napunta sa amin ’yung puntos. Destiny siguro. It’s an ugly win but a win is a win.”

Shane Reterta picked the perfect time for a breakout, firing a career-high 21 points to back Laput (16) and Angel Canino (15). Amie Provido added 15 on 10 attacks and five blocks as La Salle became the first team to sweep the elims since Bella Belen’s 2022 NU squad. Belen, now a PVL star, watched from the sidelines.

La Salle and NU have met in three of the last four finals, and this one lived up to the billing. The Lady Spikers stole the opener, 27-25. The Lady Bulldogs bit back hard, taking the next two to move a set from a spoiler.

But La Salle wouldn’t fold.

Back-to-back errors gave NU a 23-21 lead in the fourth, only for Canino and Laput to rip a 4-0 finisher and force a decider.

The fifth was haymaker after haymaker until 13-all. Laput hammered down the line for 14-13, then the challenge call went La Salle’s way – anti-climactic, but absolute.

Captain Vange Alinsug led NU with 22, Panique had 15, and super rookie Sam Cantada added 14. The Lady Bulldogs dropped to 9-4, locked into the second seed in the stepladder semis. They close the eliminations against Santo Tomas (8-5), which beat UP,  23-25, 25-21, 25-22, 25-19, earlier to keep its Final Four hopes alive.