UAAP Volleyball

Soreño, Malaluan star as La Salle thwarts Ateneo in UAAP volleyball

Delfin Dioquino

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Soreño, Malaluan star as La Salle thwarts Ateneo in UAAP volleyball

SPARK PLUG. Baby Jyne Soreño provides spark off the bench for La Salle.

UAAP SEASON 84 MEDIA TEAM

La Salle bounces back from a first-set loss to deal defending UAAP champion Ateneo a four-set defeat

MANILA, Philippines – La Salle gave reigning UAAP women’s volleyball champion Ateneo a harsh reality check after hacking out a 22-25, 25-23, 25-18, 25-20 win at the Mall of Asia Arena on Thursday, May 5.

Baby Jyne Soreño provided the spark off the bench and delivered a team-high 17 points off 13 attacks, 3 blocks, and 1 ace as the Lady Spikers bounced back from a first-set loss en route to a victorious Season 84 debut.

The Blue Eagles were on their way to nailing a commanding 2-0 set lead after taking a 21-18 edge in the second set behind the big-hitting Faith Nisperos only to fizzle out when it mattered most.

La Salle used a 7-2 run – with two attacks each from Soreño, Jolina dela Cruz, and Alleiah Malaluan – to knot the set score at 1-1.

That proved to be the turning point for the Lady Spikers as they gradually found their groove to claim the next two sets.

“For us, the hardest game is usually the first one and it is very important for us. Our team is new so we needed to make some adjustments,” said La Salle assistant coach Benson Bocboc in a mix of Filipino and English.

Malaluan finished with 15 points behind 13 attacks and 2 aces, while the twin towers of Thea Gagate and Fifi Sharma delivered 11 and 10 points, respectively, in the win.

Nisperos scorched hot for 24 points laced by 19 attacks, 3 aces, and 2 blocks, but lacked sufficient help with only one of her teammates scoring in double figures.

Lyann de Guzman ended up as the only other Ateneo player scoring in twin digits with 11 points.

Nisperos came through in the decisive fourth set, tallying 3 straight points in a 4-0 blitz that forged an 18-18 deadlock.

Coming off a timeout, the Lady Spikers eventually restored order by racking up 3 consecutive points for a 21-18 lead before Malaluan fired back-to-back hits to put her side at match point, 24-20.

Nisperos then committed the last of their 29 errors as La Salle sealed the triumph.

The Lady Spikers also drew strength from veteran Jolina dela Cruz, who netted 9 points. – Rappler.com

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Delfin Dioquino

Delfin Dioquino dreamt of being a PBA player, but he did not have the skills to make it. So he pursued the next best thing to being an athlete – to write about them. He took up journalism at the University of Santo Tomas and joined Rappler as soon as he graduated in 2017.