De La Salle University secured its first win of the UAAP Season 87 Women’s Volleyball Tournament with a hard-fought 25-21, 26-24, 25-20 sweep of Adamson University on Saturday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
Nearly a week after suffering a 23-25, 21-25, 18-25 defeat at the hands of reigning champion National University, the Lady Spikers bounced back in dominant fashion to enter the win column and improve to 1-1.
With Adamson threatening to force a fourth set, Angel Canino hammered a down-the-line hit, followed by consecutive points from Alleiah Malaluan that gave La Salle a commanding 23-17 advantage.
Canino, however, committed a service error. Then Shaina Nitura responded with a cross-court attack to bring the Lady Falcons within four, 19-23.
The UAAP Season 85 MVP quickly redeemed herself with an emphatic back-row hit to push La Salle to match point, 24-19.
Though Lilay Del Castillo missed a service attempt, Malaluan sealed the victory with a powerful off-the-block attack, securing the Lady Spikers’ bounce-back win.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
“Sa tingin ko kulang namin is kumpyansa,” said La Salle head coach Ramil De Jesus. “Dahil sa first game namin nagkulang sa paniniwala sa sarili and sa team. At the same time siguro dahil bago rin ‘yung setter.”
La Salle’s opening-day loss to National University was its first season debut defeat since Season 75 (2012-13).
“Doon sa mga pinagdaanan namin nung game na ‘yun, may mga natutunan ‘yung mga bata kagaya nung kailangan nila ma-overcome ‘yung pressure,” De Jesus added.
Malaluan led La Salle’s offense with 16 points, delivering 13 attacks, two aces, and one block. Canino followed closely with 15 points and six excellent digs, while Shevannah Laput contributed 10 markers.
Mikole Reyes, the younger sister of former Lady Spiker Mika Reyes, bounced back from a rough debut, dishing out 15 excellent sets alongside two points.
Amie Provido and Del Castillo chipped in six and five points, respectively.
In the opening set, with La Salle clinging to a 21-20 lead, Canino fired a cross-court attack, followed by a Nitura mishit that gave the Lady Spikers a 23-20 cushion.
Though Nitura responded with a kill, she committed another error, setting up Malaluan’s down-the-line finish to secure the set for La Salle.
The second set was a game of runs, with Adamson’s Nitura and Frances Mordi spearheading a 3-0 surge that turned a 21-23 deficit into a 24-23 lead. But Canino stepped up once again, scoring on back-to-back plays before Nitura’s costly attack error handed the Lady Spikers a 2-0 advantage.
La Salle looks to sustain its momentum against the University of Santo Tomas on Wednesday at 5:00 PM at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Meanwhile, Adamson fell to 1-1 after a promising debut win against Ateneo de Manila University.
Following her 33-point explosion on opening weekend, Nitura remained a bright spot for the Lady Falcons, finishing with 16 points — all but one coming from attacks.
Mordi also delivered, tallying 12 points, eight excellent digs, and four excellent receptions in the loss.
Mayang Nuique, who suffered a right ankle sprain on opening day, made her return to action and contributed five points despite limited minutes.
The Lady Falcons will look to bounce back against the University of the East on Wednesday at 1:00 PM.
