Lady Spikers oust NU belles, clinch 10th straight final

MANILA, Philippines — Top-ranked La Salle took its familiar spot in the UAAP women’s volleyball finals after dispatching No. 4 National U in yesterday’s Final Four at the MOA Arena, 27-25, 25-22, 25-11, clinching its 10th consecutive appearance in the Last Dance.

The three-peat-seeking Lady Spikers patiently chipped away hot-starting NU’s lead in the first set to draw first blood then asserted themselves in the next two frames to seal the deal and set up an interesting title showdown with host Far Eastern U.

The No. 2 Lady Tams had taken care of business by nosing out No. 3 Ateneo, 25-20, 25-21, 14-25, 25-19, in the semis faceoff last Saturday.

This will be the first championship duel between DLSU and FEU since Season 71, when the Taft-based squad rallied from a 0-1 deficit to beat its opponent from Morayta in three games.

Kim Kiana Dy dropped 17 points while Tin Tiamzon added 11 and Dawn Macandili had 23 excellent digs and 10 excellent receptions as DLSU extended its long-standing UAAP finals streak. 

“Kung ano man ang narating namin, dahil yan sa players, ginusto nila ito. Nung first round may two losses, nag-bounce back, na-develop yung character ng team, yung maturity dumating sa players. Although may times nag-struggle, na-overcome naman nila  (This is all the fruit of the players’ desire and hard work. After two losses in the eliminations, they bounced back, developed their character and showed maturity. Although there are times of struggle they managed to overcome it),” said DLSU coach Ramil de Jesus.

The Lady Bulldogs seized a 12-7 margin in the opening frame and got on the hill first on a back-row attack by Jaja Santiago, 24-23. But the Lady Spikers saved match point and outdueled NU towards the finish, breaking a 25-25 standoff on Majoy Baron’s hit and Des Cheng’s ace. 

“Sabi ko sa players, huwag nating bigyan ng chance na makakuha ng kumpyansa ang NU; once makuha nila yung first set, medyo mahirap yung pagdadaanan natin. Medyo malayo yung first set, ginapang ng team hanggang abutan sa end game (I told the players not to allow NU to gain confidence by taking the first set, if they do, our road will get bumpier. They grinded it out until we caught up in the endgame),” said De Jesus.

“After noon, medyo bumitaw unti-unti ang NU (After we took the first, NU gradually lost confidence),” he added.

Jaja Santiago scored 17 hits on her final game, ending her UAAP stint without a championship.

In the men’s division, Bryan Bagunas sizzled with a career-high 29 as No.1 NU Bulldogs overpowered No. 4 Santo Tomas, 25-13, 25-13, 31-29, to reach the finals for the sixth consecutive season.

The Bulldogs imposed their will on the hapless Tigers on every aspect, posting 12 more spikes with their 39, eight more blocks with their 12 and four more aces with their six, to grab the first finals berth.

NU awaits the winner of the other F4 duel between No. 2 FEU and No. 3 Ateneo. The Eagles leaned on Marck Espejo’s record 55 points to win the first game, 18-25, 25-13, 24-26, 25-23, 15-9, and force a KO match on Wednesday.