Almost one year to the day when they last lost a UAAP game to the same team, the DLSU Lady Spikers swept the Adamson Lady Falcons, 25-16, 25-20, 25-21, Saturday at the Filoil Flying V Center. It was in February 24 of last year when the three-time defending champions were shocked by a spirited AdU squad in four sets, 25-18, 15-25, 25-19, 25-22, before winning their next eleven games, including the Final Four and finals series.
Never trailing in the first set, a block from ever-improving reserve Norielle Ipac gave La Salle set point, 24-15, before outside hitter May Luna closed out the set with a kill for a one-set advantage. DLSU zoomed to a 17-11 lead in the second frame but a spew of errors from the squad plus a strong fight from the Lady Falcons made things interesting at 21-19.
Lady Spikers make quick work of Adamson for their 2nd straight win pic.twitter.com/Rq54mGFltu
— GoArchers (@GoArchers) February 23, 2019
The team leaned on its balance scoring once again as Luna, team captain Desiree Cheng, and middle blocker Aduke Ogunsanya combined to score three of the next four game points, giving La Salle the necessary breathing room at 24-21.
Not wanting to give Adamson any momentum, La Salle went for the jugular and opened with 5-0 and 7-2 leads in the third. With the game seemingly in the bag at 18-9 in favor of the Lady Spikers, AdU kept on fighting and made things a little bit interesting as they trimmed the nine-point lead to just four, 22-18.
DLSU coach Ramil de Jesus pulled reserve Tin Tiamson from his bench and the fourth-year hitter came through with a great kill that slowly restored control in favor of the Lady Spikers.
Despite leading the team standings together with the idle UP Lady Maroons at 2-0, head coach Ramil de Jesus, ever the perfectionist, still sees things that the team can improve on. “May mga situation (during the second set) na biglang hindi makapag-adjust, (may) lack of communication inside the court. Siguro iyon ‘yung (mga) problema kanina. And then ‘pag nag-commit ng errors, sunud-sunod. Dapat maiwasan namin ‘yung ganoon.”
Rookie Jolina dela Cruz was the lone double-digit scorer with 10 but other four players contributed at least six – Cheng and Ogunsanya with nine, Luna with eight, and a UAAP career-high six for Ipac. Dela Cruz, easily becoming one of the team’s key member, also added 18 excellent digs.
Setter Michelle Cobb tallied 25 excellent sets while also contributing three points.
The DLSU Lady Spikers will go up against the NU Lady Bulldogs next Wednesday, February 27 at the same venue.
DLSU (3) – Dela Cruz 10, Cheng 9, Ogunsanya 9, Luna 8, Ipac 6, Cobb 3, Tiamzon 1, Alba 0, Clemente 0, Saga (L)
AdU (0) – Dacoron 9, Flora 9, Permentilla 6, Soyud 6, Genesis 1, Igao 1, Yandoc 1, Ave 0, Infante 0, Macaslang 0, Ponce (L)