MANILA, Philippines – The La Salle Lady Spikers stayed unscathed in the early run of the UAAP Season 85 women’s volleyball tournament after blowing out the UP Fighting Maroons, 25-14, 25-20, 25-14, at the Mall of Asia Arena on Wednesday, March 1.
Super rookie Angel Canino led the way in scoring for the second straight game with 13 points off 11 attacks and 2 aces as La Salle rose to a 2-0 record, the only unbeaten slate left in the league apart from the 2-0 NU Lady Bulldogs.
Jolina dela Cruz turned into a defensive menace against UP with a game-high 4 blocks to hike up her 12-point total, while Thea Gagate added 10 points, all off attacks.
The Maroons brought the fight to the Lady Spikers in the second set despite a blowout first frame, as they got as near as one, 17-18, off an Alyssa Bertolano-led rally before ultimately falling to a 7-2 finishing response by La Salle for the two-set lead.
It was then a Lady Spikers cakewalk in the third frame, as they fired off a 9-1 start capped by a Dela Cruz backrow kill which the Maroons never rose back from.
“It’s a sigh of relief from last time, where we did not have a good start as we wanted. Maybe we were too tight. We just talked to the kids to stick to the system and at least, they delivered,” said La Salle interim head coach Noel Orcullo in Filipino.
Only Steph Bustrillo breached double-digit scoring in the loss with 10 points, while Bertolano and Jewel Encarnacion were held to just 7 and 5 points, respectively.
La Salle is set to carry this winning momentum to Sunday, March 5, as it takes on longtime rival Ateneo Blue Eagles at 3 pm, still at the MOA Arena. UP, meanwhile, shoots for a breakthrough against fellow winless squad UE Lady Warriors at 11 am. – Rappler.com
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.