La Salle Green Archers. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Amid the ballyhoo surrounding the finals rematch, De La Salle continued its mastery over Ateneo with a 25-20, 25-17, 24-26, 25-20 win Saturday in their first meeting this the UAAP Season 80 women’s volleyball tournament at Mall of Asia Arena.
The defending champions bounced back from their shock loss to Adamson and ended the first round on a high note, tied Far Eastern U at the second spot with a 5-2 record, while the Lady Eagles had their streak snapped and settled for third with a 4-3 card.
La Salle almost let go of a six-point lead late in the fourth period after Ateneo captain Maddie Madayag cut the margin to two, 21-19 off a dump that landed in front of the Lady Spikers’ defensive line.
The Lady Spikers, though, hung on when Tiamzon dumped the ball for La Salle’s 23-19 lead then Kianna Dy followed it up a solid block on Kat Tolentino to put the defending champions at the 24-19 match point.
After Desiree Cheng sent the ball too far in her service, 24-20, Jules Samonte ironically followed it up with her own service error that awarded the victory to the Lady Spikers.
La Salle’s victory, however, could’ve happened as early as the third set when it came back from a 21-11 hole and took a 24-22 lead.
Madayag and Tolentino, however, gutted it out for Ateneo to force the fourth set.
After he called his team a “barangay level club,” La Salle head coach Ramil De Jesus commended how his players put up a fight befit of a defending champion.
“The determination to win is at the UAAP level but their play was like a roller coaster because they will get the lead but they will throw it away, or when they were down big they will come back,” said De Jesus. “They lack the end game finishing capability.”
Dy finished with a game-high 21 points to lead La Salle while Tin Tiamzon added 13.
Desiree Cheng pitched in 11 points for the Lady Spikers while Mary Joy Baron and Aduke Ogunsanya had 10 points apiece for La salle’s cause.
Jhoanna Maraguinot had 13 points for Ateneo while Tolentino added 11.