La Salle foils Ateneo drive

If it would have to face Ateneo in the finals, La Salle made sure its archrival must get past Far Eastern University twice.

The back-to-back defending champions Lady Spikers, playing an insignificant match in their UAAP campaign, found defeating the Lady Eagles compelling enough to score a thorough 26-24, 25-17, 25-19 win at Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday.

Now La Salle will battle lowly National University armed with a twice-to-beat privilege in the semifinals of women’s volleyball.

FEU, which earlier downed NU, 25-21, 25-22, 16-25, 25-20), will have the same incentive when it takes on Ateneo in the Final Four which starts April 21, also at Mall of Asia Arena.

“It was all composure and the trust that we have in each other,” said La Salle setter Michelle Cobb, who made seven points and 24 excellent sets that kept her teams’ offense running well.

“When you have composure it flows and also my teammates and the coaches trust me,” added Cobb who was filling in the big shoes left by Kim Fajardo. “But we will keep pushing and train even harder. Because this (Final Four) is when everything gets intense.”

La Salle has won its last eight games dating back to the first round of elimination when it also defeated Ateneo.

Cobb said they didn’t treat the match as no bearing and took the win as a “boost to the semis because it gives us extra confidence.”

Bernadeth Pons drilled in 17 points for the Lady Tamaraws, who strung up four triumphs to close out the eliminations with a 10-4 record.

“As much as possible we, the elders in the team, would like to set an example for our teammates,” said Pons, the feisty scorer from Negros Occidental, in Filipino. “But we need to double our efforts in the semifinals.”

Jaja Santiago delivered 21 points for NU.