La Salle, through a bitter rival’s triumph hours before on Wednesday, secured a ticket to the Final Four of the UAAP women’s volleyball showcase.
And the Lady Spikers made sure that an unintended assist from University of Santo Tomas wouldn’t go to waste, gutting out a 25-19, 21-25, 22-25, 25-18, 15-4 victory over Adamson University as they and the Growling Tigresses stayed alive in the hunt for the second twice-to-beat semifinal bonus.
Santo Tomas had an easier time, making University of the Philippines look not-so-dangerous in a 25-20, 25-21, 25-18 shellacking earlier, before La Salle caught up at 9-4 that would make the games this weekend the most crucial yet in Season 87.
La Salle needed to dig deep before fending off super rookie Shaina Nitura and the Lady Falcons. Afterwards, superstar hitter Angel Canino had nothing but nice words for who could be her heir apparent.
“That kid is so skilled. She’s so unstoppable,” Canino said in Filipino on the heels of a 21-point, 23-reception double-double that fueled the Lady Spikers’ fightback at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. “But at the same time, our preparations included stopping her. We’re glad that our fourth and fifth set blocking worked.”
“As disappointing as it is that we had to do this in five sets, it just shows our grit and our will to win,” added Shevana Laput, who chipped in 21 points for La Salle.
It was an entirely different story for the Tigresses, who faced a team that had one of its longest winning streaks in years before eliminating the Fighting Maroons from semifinal contention.
“We’ve achieved what we aimed for from Day One, which we made clear during the [preseason] press con: Getting to the Final Four,” Santo Tomas head coach KungFu Reyes said in Filipino.
Solid net defense
Last season’s finest rookie, Angge Poyos, showed the way with 19 points that went with nine digs and five receptions. Em Banagua turned in a performance to remember against the best blocking squad of the tournament, with eight denials to banner the Santo Tomas net defense.
“You can’t go to the Finals without making it to the Final Four,” he went on. “We’re on the right track, and this is where the real grind begins.”
That grind starts on Sunday in a mammoth duel with defending champion National U, as another win could give the Tigresses at least a playoff for No. 2 and the second twice-to-beat privilege in the Final Four.
La Salle, on the other hand, will be clashing with Far Eastern U on Saturday in another high-stakes game since the Lady Tamaraws are also looking to close out with a win and possibly avoid finishing fourth that would require a clash with the Lady Bulldogs and needing to beat them two straight times in the semis.
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“This is what we’ll do: Stick to the plan, get back on the hardcourt and execute everything we’ve prepared for,” Reyes said of Sunday’s mammoth duel with the 11-2 Lady Bulldogs.
Veteran Detdet Pepito anchored the UST backline with 23 digs and eight receptions, while Reg Jurado accounted for 13 attacks, with Mabeth Hilongo chipping in six of her own spikes with 15 receptions.
