By Ardyn Gonzales
The De La Salle University Lady Spikers ended the first round of UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball eliminations on a winning note after sweeping the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws, 25-17, 25-20, 25-22, Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
Shevana Laput once again wreaked havoc en route to their fifth win this season, finishing 22 points in just three sets built on 18 attacks, three kill blocks, and a service ace. Alleiah Malaluan added 12 markers, while Angel Canino chipped in 10 points all on attacks.
The Lady Spikers prevented an extension of the match after quickly erasing a 4-8 deficit in the third set. Both teams fought tooth and nail until the latter part of the frame, but it was La Salle that was able to create a gap after a 19-all deadlock.
With Laput and Canino in the frontline while Malaluan was anchoring the defense, the Lady Spikers were at their strongest rotation in the crucial stretch of the match.
The Lady Tamaraws cut down the lead to a single point, 24-23, but an unexpected one-two play from La Salle ended FEU’s hope for an extension, earning them their fourth straight win for a 5-2 win-loss record.
Meanwhile, FEU’s offense obviously struggled as no player finished in double digits. Jean Asis only had nine, while Gerz Petallo added eight. The Lady Tamaraws ended the first round of eliminations at the fourth spot while the Lady Spikers’ ranking depends on the match-up between NU and UST.
Featured image courtesy of UAAP
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