La Salle Green Spikers in the UAAP Season 85 men’s volleyball tournament. –UAAP PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — La Salle tightened its grip on the solo third seed in the UAAP Season 85 men’s volleyball tournament after it dominated the also-ran Adamson, 25-17, 25-14, 25-15, on Wednesday at Mall of Asia Arena.
Setter Paul Serrano paced the balanced attack of the Green Spikers, dishing out 15 excellent sets and firing two aces to finish with three points as his team rose to a 7-5 record, one game ahead of joint fourth placers Ateneo and Far Eastern University, who are tied at 6-6.
Unbeaten leader National University (11-0) and second seed University of Santo Tomas (10-1) clinched the top two spots and twice-to-beat incentives heading to the Final Four.
La Salle Green Spikers’ JM Ronquillo. –UAAP PHOTO
JM Ronquillo led La Salle’s offense with 14 points built on eight attacks, four blocks, and two aces, while Noel Kampton added 11 points on a 10-of-22 spiking clip.
Vince Maglinao and Joshua Rodriguez chipped in seven points each to boost the semifinal chances of the Green Spikers.
“My challenge to them was to control the game from the start. We can’t play relaxed because we want to reach the semifinals,” said LA Salle coach Arnold Laniog in Filipino. “I was very satisfied with our performance. We created a lot of points from our blocking and service.”
La Salle, which had 12 blocks and six aces, battles Ateneo in a crucial game on Sunday.
No one from the Falcons scored in double figures with Evander Novillo and Joshua Magalaman leading the way with seven points each.
Adamson lost 11 of its 12 matches and fell to a five-game skid.