La Salle waltzes past overmatched UE, books Final 4 berth

And just like that, La Salle is back in the Final Four. There was no need for drama or tense endgame rallies. All it took was a very surgeon-like carving of a hapless foe.

After a wobbly start to the season, the Lady Spikers showed its mean defending champion form by mangling  University of the East, 25-8, 25-14, 25-12, on Saturday to stay unbeaten in the second round of the UAAP Season 80 women’s volleyball tournament at Filoil Flying V Centre.

La Salle sewed up its ninth win in 11 outings to book a semifinal berth after showing the Lady Warriors (2-9) the door in clinically rude fashion.

But La Salle coach Ramil de Jesus isn’t passing off Final Four tickets to friends and relatives just yet.

“I’m not thinking of the Final Four, but I do think about who we will face next and winning against those teams that beat us in the first round,” said De Jesus in Filipino. La Salle’s only losses in the first round were against Adamson University and National University.

The Lady Spikers had already avenged their loss against the Lady Bulldogs at the start of the second round.

“If we can sweep this second round, we’ll definitely go for it.”

Reigning MVP Mary Joy Baron had 13 points to lead La Salle while Kianna Dy added 11 points.

Meanwhile, Far Eastern U strengthened its Final Four chances after beating University of the Philippines, 21-25, 25-16, 25-20, 25-22, in the other game.

The Lady Tamaraws rose to 7-4 and claimed sole possession of the fourth spot while the Lady Maroons dropped to a dangerous 3-8.

UP still has a mathematical chance of entering the semifinals but will need the other teams to lose their remaining games.

FEU head coach George Pascua said they can’t afford to slow down one bit especially with his team’s Final Four spot still not in their grasp.

“We still have some work to do because we use a different system for every game,” said Pascua in Filipino.