DLSU ERASES FEU’S TWICE-TO-BEAT ADVANTAGE; NOW ONE WIN AWAY FROM THE FINALS
By Ardyn Gonzales
7 October 2016
Defending champion La Salle won all of its 3 games today including the 21-15, 19-21, 15-12 victory against number two-seeded FEU in the stepladder semi-finals at MOA Sands by the Bay in Pasay City.
The Lady Spikers seemed to be lost half-way through the elimination round, even losing to Adamson last Monday.
But with Kim Fajardo replacing Desiree Cheng due to asthma, the ladies from Taft found its groove once more and continued their own version of cinderella run with a dominating win over archrivals Ateneo, 21-6 21-16, to advance in the stepladder semis.
La Salle and Ateneo met again in the knockout game in the semis, but the Lady Spikers did not give Michelle Morente and Kim Gequillana a chance to bounce back, eliminating the Lady Eagles, 21-19 21-11.
Now gaining the much-needed confidence, La Salle faced the FEU Lady Tams who then had a twice-to-beat edge.
The Lady Spikers came out strong in the first set, establishing an early 9-3 lead. Bernadette Pons and Kyla Atienza tried to come back to pull FEU within 16-15 but La Salle answered and scored five straight points to get them ahead, one set to none.
La Salle continued its momentum in the second set but the Lady Tams did not let them pull away. An attack by Pons followed by her two consecutive service aces allowed FEU to take the lead, 20-19. Pons once again attacked to force a third and deciding set.
In the third set, La Salle and FEU were just exchanging series of points tying the match at 8-all. However, the well-placed attacks of Fajardo gave a crucial two-point lead to the Lady Spikers.
Pons and Atienza once again attempted to come back but was unsuccessful as La Salle was able to escape and get the match in three sets.
La Salle and FEU will meet again tomorrow at 08:30am in a do-or-die match for the right to face the still-undefeated tandem of UST’s Cherry Rondina and Jem Gutierrez in a best-of-three Finals series.
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