The DLSU Green Spikers outplayed the defending champs, the NU Bulldogs in a fast 26-24, 25-19, 25-22 match for only their third win of the season at the FilOil Arena.
NU and La Salle raised to a fast-paced start as spikes hit the floor early for both squads. The Bulldogs, who dropped their top spot in the men’s volleyball tournament, found themselves trailing a small deficit against the upstart La Salle squad.
With the Taft-based spikers leading by a solitary point, Mike Frey delivered the blows to give DLSU a comfortable cushion. Bench players Rafael Del Pilar, Brendon Santos and captain Red Christensen also provided the important points to seal the first set win.
In the second set, a confident La Salle squad raced to another blitz as they built another lead against the seemingly rattled NU team. They built an eight-point lead late and despite a quick 3-0 counter by NU, the blocking of the Green Spikers paid dividends in terms of denying the comeback.
Equipped with the momentum, the Green Spikers looked to close out the game early as the duo of Frey and John Onia delivered the final blows en route to La Salle’s first win via a sweep. Known for losing their grip in games, the Green Spikers seemed poised and confident with the victory over the slumping NU team.
Both teams had 40 spikes but DLSU had one more block, 7-6. The Green Spikers also scored on more aces, 2-0, but it was NU’s errors that spelled the difference, 27-19.
Frey led all DLSU scorers with 14 points while Onia added 10. Jan Paglinawan led NU with 14.
DLSU improves to a 3-8 record while NU drops to 7-4. La Salle seeks its first winning streak of the season against UST on Feb. 14 at the FilOil Arena. NU, currently on a drought after losing four of the last five games, looks to bounce back against FEU on Feb. 11 at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The scores:
DLSU- Frey 14, Onia 10, Christensen 6, Dumago 6, Calderon 6, Calasin 5, Asia 2, Del Pilar 0, Dimayuga 0, Santos 0, Dizon(L) 0, Movido(L) 0
NU- Paglinawan 14, Torres 9, Inaudito 8, Ismail 6, Bagunas 4, Mangulabnan 2, Baysac 2, Tolentino 1, Dizon(L) 0
