Games Sunday
(UST Quadricentennial Pavilion, Manila)
9 a.m. – UE vs NU (Men’s)
11 a.m. – UE vs NU (Women’s)
3 p.m. – UP vs FEU (Men’s)
5 p.m. – UP vs FEU (Women’s)
By MARK REY MONTEJO
La Salle hardly broke a sweat in dismantling longtime rival Ateneo, 25-13, 25-12, 25-18, as the rampaging Lady Spikers inched closer to earning an outright Finals berth in the UAAP Season 88 women’s volleyball tournament at FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City Saturday, April 11.
As expected, the Lady Spikers, powered by Angel Canino and Amie Provido, flexed their might right away, especially in the first two sets, before relaxing a bit in the third that allowed the Lady Eagles to mount a strong challenge.
But there was no denying the Lady Spikers as they doused cold water on Ateneo’s comeback bid with a series of thunderous spikes that sealed their 12th win in just 72 minutes.
Apart from stretching their dominance over the Lady Eagles to 18 games, the Lady Spikers are now two games away from completing a double-round elimination sweep.
If they beat winless University of the East Lady Warriors this Wednesday, April 15, and defending champions National University Lady Bulldogs on Sunday, April 19, they will advance outright to the finals.
As things stand now, they are already assured of the No. 1 seeding with a twice-to-beat incentive.
The Sergio Veloso-mentored Ateneo squad, on the other hand, suffered its 11th loss in 12 contests at seventh.
“Well, medyo no’ng third set nag-relax eh, nawala sa focus talaga, hopefully wag mangyari ‘yon sa susunod. ‘Yon lang naman pinapaalala namin sa kanila… hangga’t maari tapusin kung matatapos ng mabilis,” said La Salle deputy coach Noel Orcullo.
Canino paced La Salle after logging 15 points off 13 spikes and two blocks that came with three excellent digs and nine excellent receptions. Provido scored 12 points, while Lilay Del Castillo and Shevana Laput added nine points apiece.
Meanwhile, Ateneo completed a second-set comeback and fended off archrival La Salle, 25-22, 25-23, 25-22, for its second straight win that strengthened its Final Four return quest.
Aimar Okeke, Jian Salarzon, and Amil Pacinio worked in sync, orchestrating a 16-7 run that propelled the Blue Eagles from a 9-16 hole to steal the second frame, a surge they sustained in the third en route to a sweep win over the Green Spikers.
Ateneo hiked its record to 7-5 to remain at No. 4 – behind No. 3 host University of Santo Tomas (7-4) – while La Salle is now in a must-win situation after slipping to a 5-7 card.
