Relying on a balanced effort, the Adamson University Soaring Falcons braver Raymark Woo’s barrage of spikes to claim a five-set victory over the De La Salle University Green Spikers 17-25, 25-21, 19-25, 25-20, 15-13 in the UAAP Men’s Volleyball Tournament at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.
The match boiled down to who claimed the lead first in each set. La Salle broke away early in the first and third frames through Woo’s impeccable attacking. Adamson caught brakes midway through the second and fourth sets as La Salle gave away untimely errors.
The fifth set was tied for the most part until Adamson’s Dave Pletado nailed a huge block on a Raymark Woo cross-court hit for an 11-9 lead. From there, both squad’s traded points with Adamson utilizing smart combination plays to end rallies quickly. Leading 13-12, Adamson set a differential play for Pao Pablico then took the match after Bryan Saraza smashed a hit over an unsuspecting La Salle defense.
Pletado led four Falcons who scored in double-digits with 19 points off 14 attacks and five blocks. Jerome Sarmiento tallied 16 markers, Mike Sudaria amassed 13, while Bryan Saraza added 10 points. Setter Nico Ramirez coupled seven points with 47 excellent sets.
“Sabi ko lang sa team na sa kami-kami muna ang mag-usap sa loob ng court. Si coach kasi naninigaw na out of pressure, napapasa lang sa amin. Kaya sabi ko magtiwala lang sa isa’t isa,” said Adamson team captain Mike Sudaria.
Raymark Woo finished with a UAAP record 39 makers, beating out UST great Mark Alfafara’s 37-point performance in last season’s Final Four. Wingers Levin Dimayuga and Arjay Onia each contributed 14 points.
Adamson improves their record to 8-3, good for second place behind the 9-1 Ateneo Blue Eagles. La Salle drops to seventh with a 4-7 slate.
The Soaring Falcons next take on the University of the East Warriors on April 2 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. On the other hand, La Salle faces the Ateneo Blue Eagles on April 3 at the FilOil Flying V Centre.
The Scores:
AdU (3) – Pletado 19, Sarmiento 16, Sudaria 13, Saraza 10, Pablico 8, Ramirez 7, Yude 0, Consunji 0, Melgar (L), Mendiolla (L)
DLSU (2) – Woo 39, Dimayuga 14, Onia 14, Jose 8, Asia 7, Bacon 2, Dumago 2, Calasin 1, Delos Reyes 0, Maravilla 0, Frey 0, Movido (L)
