Lady Spikers flaunt unblemished record against AdU
by: Ma. Monica Benitez
The De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Spikers conquered the Adamson University (AdU) Lady Falcons in four adrenaline-induced sets, 22–25, 25–14, 25–16, 25–19, earlier today at the FilOil EcoOil Centre to stay on top of the standings.
The two teams were off to a fiery start with long sequences early in the game. It was uncertain which team would come on top, but the Falcons managed to pull away due to consecutive errors by La Salle, 2–5. The Taft-based squad was still settling in at the start of the set which the Falcons saw and took advantage of, scoring off the former’s defense, 6–11. La Salle, managed to erase a five-point lead towards the latter part of the set to even the game at 18-all. Angel Canino finally made her presence known with a cross-court kill after committing back-to-back errors, but Lucille Almonte snatched the set away, 22–25, as Mars Alba failed to save the ball.
The Lady Spikers rewrote the story during the second set as they took the lead following consecutive kills and formidable blocks. The Taft-based squad extended to a six-point advantage, 12–6, with attacks form Jolina Dela Cruz and Gagate. Meanwhile, consecutive errors and limited digs during the second set prevented AdU from catching up, as the Green & White managed to secure a eight-point lead courtesy of Baby Jyne Soreño’s booming kills, 11–19. A factor for this set was that La Salle was able to limit their errors to only one in the entire set, topping off the 17 attacks, two blocks and three aces performance. Kapitana Alba was all over the place, scoring attacks and executing blocks, but it was Fifi Sharma who snagged the set with a service ace, 25–14.
La Salle carried on their momentum into the third set, as the Falcons crumbled underneath a Soreño attack, followed by a kill from Alba, 9–4. Balls were dropping on the Adamson side as Gagate and the team attempted to protect a five-point advantage, but it was Trisha Tubu who cut the lead to two, 13–11. The team then turned to Canino to extend the lead back to four as she deceived the Falcons, opting for a drop instead of a kill, regaining a four-point lead, 15–11. Justine Jazareno was also a key in extending long rallies with crucial dives and digs that helped Super Rookie Canino take the team one step closer to securing the match as she ended the third set with a kill, 25–16.
The Taft-based snatched the lead once more despite almost staggering during the first few moments of the fourth set, 8–4. The Falcons almost caught up, as they cut down the lead to two but formidable blocks helped the Green & White extend it back to five, 17–12, with a Sharma quick. Consecutive attacks from Gagate and Dela Cruz further extended the lead, 22–16, until an error by AdU eventually sent La Salle to match point. Super sub Soreño sealed the match for the Lady Spikers, 25–19.
