Nothing easy was handed to De La Salle University as it eked out a hard-fought five-set victory over Ateneo De Manila University, 19-25, 25-18, 20-25, 25-22, 15-12, on Tuesday evening.
Playing in a match that had huge stakes on the line, the Lady Spikers drew inspiration from the ever-supportive La Sallian crowd that was tirelessly cheering them on as they engaged in a nip-and-tuck affair against their rivals.
“Dun sa nakuha namin dun sa crowd po ngayon, ‘yung pagka-proud po nila, na-boboost din po ‘yung moral confidence po namin,” Jyne Soreño said after leading the team’s attack with 17 points off the bench. “Kasi nandoon po sila palagi po nag-support sa amin, and kami po connected po sa kanila.
“Kasi nandun po ‘yung mga ate’s po namin na nanood din po, so ‘yun po na-gagain po talaga ‘yung confidence po namin na alam po namin na kaya po namin.”
Indeed, the support of the crowd did wonders for the Lady Spikers as they successfully overcame a 2-1 set deficit midway through the game. Timely hits from Soreño, Leiah Malaluan, and Jolina Dela Cruz allowed DLSU to nab the fourth and fifth sets of the game to escape with the thrilling victory.
With the win, the Lady Spikers extended their winning streak to five as they tightened their grip on the second seed with a 10-3 record. At the same time, they also made life more complicated for their rivals who dropped down to a 7-6 record to remain in the hunt for a seat in the playoffs.
Dela Cruz, who also played a key role in the victory, extended her appreciation and gratitude for the fans who never fail to be by their side through the ups and downs of their Season 84 campaign.
She was eager to exert her best effort against Ateneo in order to help her team win and give the DLSU community something to be proud of, especially at this stage of the season heading into the playoffs.
“For me, very thankful naman sa Lasallian community, kasi lagi sila nandiyan. Kahit ‘yung kalaban namin, kung ano man ‘yung makalaban namin nandiyan sila,” the sophomore outside hitter claimed.
“Pati ‘yung mga ate’s nga kagaya nang sinabi ni Jyne [Soreño] na all out ‘yung support nila, and ‘yun gusto lang din namin mag-move up na gagawin namin ‘yung best namin, dahil we know na nandiyan sila to support us.”
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