- Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Adamson University pulled off the biggest upset of the season so far after toppling defending champion De La Salle, 25-18, 15-25, 25-19, 25-22, in the UAAP Season 80 women’s volleyball tournament at Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.
The Lady Falcons snapped their two-game skid and improved to 3-3 and take possession of the fifth seed while the Lady Spikers slipped to 4-2.
Former Lady Spiker Eli Soyud proved to be the thorn on the side of La Salle when she capped off Adamson’s 12-5 run in the fourth with two straight kills that gave the Lady Falcons a 17-10 lead.
Mary Joy Dacoron put Adamson at match point, 24-19, when she broke through the double block of Desiree Cheng and Aduke Ogunsanya.
Then, captain Jema Galanza, who ended La Salle for the Lady Falcons’ final point.
Adamson head coach Air Padda admitted she experienced difficulty in handling the team after their two straight losses, saying that the players lost their focus after their loss to University of Santo Tomas.
The win over La Salle, Padda said, was the biggest sigh of relief for her after their struggles the past week.
“We haven’t been focused, it’s hard coaching them this week, and for them to come out here, man, today I’m really proud of them,” said Padda. “The only goal I set for them was to make the school proud, it wasn’t even beating La Salle.”
“It’s not about the name on your back, it’s about this, the name on the front.”
Soyud finished with 18 points to lead Adamson while Mylene Paat and Dacoron had 15 points apiece with Galanza pitching in 10 of her own.
Mary Joy Baron led La Salle with 13 points while Cheng added 10.