La Salle locks finals showdown with Ateneo at FEU’s expense

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – The Green and White are back in the finals for the 8th straight year.

The De La Salle Lady Spikers finally got rid of the FEU Lady Tamaraws in their Final Four knockout match via a straight sets win, 25-15, 27-25, 25-21, Wednesday, April 20, at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Seniors Mika Reyes and Ara Galang led the team with 10 points each while Kim Fajardo recorded 51 excellent sets for the match.

FEU shocked La Salle last Sunday after pulling off a come-from-behind victory and claiming the first game of their semifinals face-off in 5 sets. However, the Taft-based squad made sure that they weren’t going to fold this time around.

The Lady Spikers dominated the Lady Tamaraws from start to finish but FEU attempted to steal the momentum in the second set, 24-24, after Bernadeth Pons tied the game.

Unfortunately, DLSU’s lead expanded to 26-25, until Cyd Demecillo won the set for them, 27-25.

“‘Yon ‘yong mga sitwasyon na kailangan matutong i-handle no’ng team (Those are the kinds of situations the team should learn how to handle),” said Ramil De Jesus.

“‘Yun yung gusto kong makita sa team. Down kami pero kumapit. ‘Yun yung gusto kong makita sa character nila (That’s what I want to see in them. We were down but they held on. That’s what I want to see in their character),” he added.

The Morayta-based squad completely collapsed in the final canto with La Salle burying them in a 14-7 hole they weren’t able to recover from.

Pons and Toni Rose Basas combined for 20 points while Team Captain Remy Palma chipped in 9 markers.

DLSU booked its 5th consecutive finals matchup with two-time defending champions Ateneo de Manila Lady Eagles. – Rappler.com