MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – The De La Salle University Lady Spikers turned back the University of the Philippines (UP) Lady Maroons in straight sets, 25-21, 25-22, 26-24, on Saturday, February 10, at the Filoil Flying V Centre. 

Michelle Cobb sealed the win with 3 straight service aces as the Lady Spikers rallied back from a 21-24 deficit. 

The DLSU Lady Spikers stand at 2-0, while the UP Lady Maroons fall to 1-1 in the UAAP Season 80 Women’s Volleyball tournament. 

Kim Dy and Tin Tiamzon led the Lady Spikers with 13 points apiece. DLSU’s hero of the day Cobb finished the match with 10 points off 7 service aces, while making 32 excellent sets. 

Tots Carlos continued to lead the Lady Maroons with 19 points. Isa Molde backed her up with 10 points all from spikes while making 12 excellent digs. 

The Lady Maroons had a strong start to the match as Isa Molde led the UP offense to nab the early lead in the first set, 11-8. After much back-and-forth action midway into the set, UP squandered its early lead as La Salle’s 4-1 run was capped off by a Tin Tiamzon spike. 

The Lady Spikers regained momentum at a greater level in the second set. Trailing 11-9 in the set, DLSU rallied back with Kim Dy making back-to-back attacks to tie the score at 11-all. The defending champions continued to limit the Lady Maroons as Cobb’s back-to-back service aces gave them a 2-point lead and capped off the 6-0 run with another ace, 15-11. 

As DLSU held the set point at 24-19, UP cut the deficit to two punctuated by Tots Carlos’ attack that cruised through the block. Cobb gave DLSU a 2-0 advantage in the match by converting the first ball into a drop.

The Lady Maroons attempted to prevent a sweep as Ramos’ two straight points lifted UP to a 4-point lead, 14-10. Back-to-back crosscourt shots by Molde extended UP’s scoring streak to 5 unanswered points, 17-10. DLSU rallied back with a 5-1 run punctuated by Dy’s service ace that cut the deficit to two points, 20-18.

The Scores

DLSU (76) – Dy 13, Tiamzon 13, Cobb 10, Cheng 10, Baron 9, Ogunsanya 4. 

UP (67) – Carlos 19, Molde 10, Ramos 9, Buitre 7, Estranero 3, Basarte 1, Dorog 1, Lim 1. 

– Rappler.com