DEFENDING champion De La Salle streaked to its third straight win as it survived Far Eastern University, 25-22, 25-17, 24-26, 23-25, 15-7 in the UAAP Season 80 women’s volleyball tournament Wednesday at Filoil Flying V Centre.
The Lady Spikers, who tied National University atop the standings with a 3-0 record, sent the Lady Tamaraws skidding to their second straight loss for a 1-2 slate.
After trading blows with FEU for a 5-5 tie in the fifth set, the defending champions let their arrows loose and went on a 10-2 run to end the match with Michelle Cobb connecting with Desiree Cheng for the sharp kill.
La Salle’s first semblance of disparity in the fifth set was its 12-6 lead when Aduke Ogunsanya brushed off Jeanette Villareal’s attempt.
Lady Spikers head coach Ramil De Jesus somehow regretted that FEU was able to bring the game to the fifth set, but he still saw the positives in the lengthy matches.
“I always tell the team that even though they got the first two sets we will lag behind in the third set,” said De Jesus in Filipino. “It’s fairly easy to score the first 24 points, but it’s very difficult to get that last one.”
“These five-set matches are good because we can already see what needs to be fixed and it’s really a test for the team’s character.”
La Salle already had a 24-22 lead in the third set and needed just one point to finish off FEU but Kianna Dy’s first attempt to end the match went out of bounds.
Dy’s second attempt got blocked and Villareal denied Ogunsanya that gave FEU the 25-24 lead before Bernadeth Pons calmly scored the Lady Tamaraws’ 26th point of the third set.
La Salle, although, enjoyed 46 free points due to FEU’s errors while the Lady Spikers gave away just 28 points.
Dy paced La Salle with 18 points while reigning MVP Mary Joy Baron added 16.
Ogunsanya and Cheng also finished in double digits with 11 and 10 points, respectively, while Cobb orchestrated La Salle’s offense to the tune of 49 excellent sets.
Pons put up a game-high 21 points while Celine Domingo added 12 points for FEU.