The De La Salle University Green Spikers earned an uplifting win over UAAP powerhouse National University Bulldogs, 26-24, 25-19, 18-25, 25-22, in the 2016 Spikers’ Turf Collegiate Conference at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig.
The Taft spikers stifled NU’s high-powered offense with strong serves. The Bulldogs’ service reception came and went and, in this match, their reception was a shambles.
After braving a close first set, La Salle rained aces and strong serves on NU in the following frame to take a 2-0 lead handily. Errors plagued the La Sallians in the third frame, as they surrendered 10 in the set alone and gave NU an insurmountable 22-16 lead.
The Green Spikers again leaned on their serving to break away in the fourth frame. A string of sharp deliveries from Arjay Onia buoyed the Green Spikers from a 6-10 deficit to a 10-all tie. Another string of misreceptions caused the Bulldogs to slide to a 14-18 deficit, leading to their last timeout. NU slowly whittled away at the lead, managing numerous defensive plays, but were only able to convert on few. Still, the Bulldogs had cut the La Salle advantage down to one, 21-22, before a Raymark Woo kill followed by an Arjay Onia attack errors sealed a 24-21 lead for the Green Spikers. La Salle clinched the match with a Rafael Del Pilar quick play.
“Sinabi ko lang sa kanila na makinig sa instruction namin para sa laro which is na-execute namin nila,” said La Salle head coach Nes Pamilar. “Marami pa talaga kaming kailangan baguhin at i-ensayo pero masaya pa rin ako sa pinakita nila.”
“Kailangan sa lahat ng mga susunod na kalaban, ganito rin ang ipakita namin at pag-ensayuhan pa namin lalo.”
UAAP Scoring champ Raymark Woo delivered 19 points off 16 spikes and three blocks. Cris Dumago replaced Mike Frey, who had sat out due to a flu, in the starting lineup and provided 18 markers while Onia finished with 13 points.
Bryan Bagunas led all scorers with 21 points, while Madz Gampong added 15 points for the Bulldogs, who dropped the match of the season.
The Green Spikers (2-1) will next face the PMMS Mariners (0-3) on Wednesday, August 24, at 10:00am. On the other hand, the NU Bulldogs (2-1) square off against the CSB Blazers (0-2) on Saturday, August 20, at 10:00am. The former will be played at the Philsports Arena while the latter is at the Filoil Flying V Centre.
The Scores
DLSU (3) – Woo 19, Dumago 18, Onia 13, Elorde 7, Del Pilar 4, Asia 1, Bacon 0, Dimayuga 0, Maravilla 0, Marco 0, Movido (L)
NU (1) – Bagunas 21, Gampong 15, Ismail 10, Saura 6, Malabunga 4, Dayandante 3, Baysac 2, Ancheta 0, Ogoc 0, Marcos (L)
