The De La Salle University Lady Spikers stumbled for a set but were still dominant in their four-set victory over the National University Lady Bulldogs, 25-21, 25-11, 15-25, 25-12; their second straight win of the second round, Sunday evening at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
The first set was the only close set of the match, with the Lady Spikers pulling away late in the frame via a 3-0 run. Leading 22-18, the La Salle protected their advantage thanks to solid offensive attacks on the sideout.
From there, the sets turned into romps with La Salle dominating the second set to take a 2-0 lead. NU extended the match after a 5-0 push gave them a comfortable 20-11 lead in the third frame. The Lady Bulldogs, however, failed to capitalize on their momentum as La Salle ran off to a 10-1 lead in the fourth frame and never looked back.
“Siguro ‘yung pagiging aggressive nila sa floor defense and sa blocking so ‘yung first set medyo close hanging huli so may mga breaks lang kami noong first set,” said La Salle head coach Ramil De Jesus when asked what went right about their game.
La Salle dominated the net, with twin towers Kianna Dy and Majoy Baron combining for eight blocks to NU’s four. Dy finished with 17 points while Baron added 15.
The Lady Spikers are second in the standings with a 7-2 record and take on the skidding University of the Philippines Lady Maroons (4-4) next Sunday at the FilOil Flying V Centre.
NU ace Jaja Santiago was limited to just nine points, as her teammates struggled with the first touch for most of the match. Jorelle Singh led the Lady Bulldogs with 12 markers.
The Lady Bulldogs are tied for fourth with the Far Eastern University Lady Tams with a 5-4 slate. They face the University of the East Lady Warriors (1-7) also on Sunday.
The Scores
DLSU (3) – Dy 17, Baron 15, Cheng 6, Fajardo 6, Luna 5, Ogunsanya 4, Tiamzon 2, Cobb 1, Ipac 1, Layug 0, Macandili (L)
NU (1) – Singh 12, Santiago 9, Urdas 7, Paran 5, Sato 5, Nabor 2, Doromal 1, Valdez (L)
