Lady Spikers shake off Lady Falcons, near first-round sweep

The Lady Spikers bucked a poor start then staged a staggering 8-0 closeout to hurdle the Lady Falcons for their sixth straight win in as many games.

UAAP Media Bureau

Games on Saturday (March 14)

(Mall of Asia Arena)

9 a.m. – Ateneo vs UE (men)

11 a.m. – FEU vs UST (men)

1 p.m. – Ateneo vs UE (women)

3 p.m. – FEU vs UST (women)

MANILA, Philippines — La Salle staved off a strong resistance from Adamson to escape with a, 19-25, 25-20, 25-21, 13-25, 15-5, victory and close in on a first-round sweep in the UAAP Season 88 women’s volleyball Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The Lady Spikers bucked a poor start then staged a staggering 8-0 closeout to hurdle the Lady Falcons for their sixth straight win in as many games.

The only team left in La Salle’s checklist is no less than back-to-back reigning champion National University, at close second with a 5-1 slate, this Sunday, March 15, at the same venue in a much-awaited finals rematch.

“Nakita namin na gusto nilang lumaban, na gusto nilang manalo. Talagang ginusto nila,” said assistant coach Noel Orcullo on the character win for the Lady Spikers in two hours and 16 minutes.

“Sinabihan lang naman ‘yung mga bata na (test of) character ito. Dito na mailalabas ‘yung pinaghirapan niyo. Dito niyo masusubok kung ano ‘yung meron kayo.”

La Salle did, stamping its steely resolve and veteran pedigree amid repeated stomps from the vastly improved Lady Falcons led by last year’s Rookie of the Year Shaina Nitura and rising star Frances Mordi.

And standing at the forefront was ace spiker and top MVP contender Shevana Laput, who bounced back from scoring only nine points in her comeback last game against UE with a career-best 26 points.

The 6-foot-2 hitter hammered 19 hits, six blocks and an ace, majority of which came from La Salle’s 8-0 blast to finish off the gritty Lady Falcons from a tightrope 7-5 score in the decider.

Season 85 Rookie-MVP Angel Canino, who led the way in Laput’s two-game absence, was also instrumental with an all-around brilliance of 19 points, 12 digs and 11 receptions while Shane Reterta also scattered 10 points, 12 receptions and 11 digs.

Middle blocker Amie Provido added nine points while the league’s leading playmaker Eshana Nunag provided 23 sets. Libero Lyka De Leon had 18 receptions and 14 digs.

“It took us until the fifth set to really gising, to wake up and realize that we came here for a purpose. We didn’t win two sets just to lose the fifth set. We didn’t come all the way to lose,” said Laput, brother of PBA player James from Magnolia.

Laput, Reterta and Provido accounted for La Salle’s last eight points in their first five-setter duel after going 15-1 in the first five matches. The Lady Spikers’ lone set defeat prior to this came against rival Ateneo.

And the Lady Spikers had to work for every inch of it, getting off to wrong foot in a 19-25 first-set loss before taking care of the next two sets only for the Lady Falcons to forge a rubber with a convincing 12-point win in the fourth.

Good thing for La Salle, experience played a major factor as Nitura and Mordi misfired when it mattered most.

Mordi (22) and Nitura (21) had their usual numbers for Adamson, which fell to 3-3 heading into its last duel against fellow Final Four hopeful UP (3-2).

In the men’s play, University of Santo Tomas (5-1) clobbered UP (2-4), 25-22, 25-18, 25-16, to gain a piece of second seed with five-peat champion NU (5-1); while La Salle (2-4) notched its second straight win against Adamson (1-5), 25-21, 25-20, 21-25, 25-20.