LAST season a talented National University (NU) side held a twice-to-beat edge in the step-ladder semifinals, only to lose the advantage to eventual champion Ateneo de Manila University.
This season, the Lady Bulldogs got the chance to flip the script after netting a monumental upset of second-seed De La Salle in straight sets, 25-20, 25-20, 25-19, in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 77 women’s volleyball stepladder semifinal on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The stunning victory was NU’s sixth straight while inflicting the Lady Green Spikers their first straight-sets loss this season in only one hour and 11 minutes.
Middle hitter Jaja Santiago and open hitter Myla Pablo, two remaining key cogs from last year’s squad, finished with 13 points each. Santiago also scored 10 attacks and three blocks, while Pablo found her spots with 11 spikes. Rookie Jorelle Singh continued her stellar play with 10 of her 11 points off attacks, while Rizza Mandapat contributed 10 points and four digs.
The Taft Avenue-based Lady Green Spikers, coming off a two-week deep freeze, played uncharacteristically poor in the contest with Head Coach Ramil de Jesus strangely tinkering with his rotation by using all but two players in his 14-member lineup.
The move resulted in an out-of-sync De La Salle unit that coughed up 19 errors—one of the most they gave up in a game the entire season. They also failed to stop the NU power trio of Santiago, Pablo and Singh, who totalled for 31 of the team’s 40 attacks in the contest. Skipper Desiree Dadang scored five of the Lady Bulldogs’ 11 blocks, as the Bustillos-based spikers dragged the Lady Green Spikers to a sudden death match for the right to face defending champion Ateneo in the finals at 4 p.m. on Saturday at the MOA Arena.
In the men’s finals, Ateneo moved closer to winning its first championship with a 25-19, 30-28, 20-25, 25-22 victory over “three-peat-seeking” NU earlier on Wednesday.
Reigning Most Valuable Player Marck Espejo was on beast mode, drilling in 31 points, including two service aces, and collected eight digs for the Blue Eagles, who could wrap up the best-of-three series in Game Two at 2 p.m., also on Saturday at the MOA Arena.
“Maganda ang blockings ni Dadang. She is a very silent operator,” said NU Coach Roger Gorayeb, who improved to 8-3 since he took over the team in January.
With the loss, the Lady Spikers were pushed to the brink of missing the Finals for the first time since the 2007-2008 season where they placed fifth.
Ara Galang paced De La Salle with 14 points, while Cyd Demecillo chipped in 10 hits and four digs.
Ateneo vs DLSU in baseball finals
REIGNING titlist Ateneo and De La Salle open their best-of-three baseball championship series on Thursday at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium.
The game starts at 11 a.m. between the same teams that figured in the finals last season.
Ateneo stumbled late in the elimination round after a 7-0 start, tying De La Salle in first place at 7-3. One of those losses by the Eagles came from the hands of the Green Batters, a 12-14 decision last week. While Ateneo has a slew of power sluggers, led by former Most Valuable Player Matt Laurel, De La Salle boasts of talented pitchers, including Carly Laurel.
The Blue Eagles are eyeing their third consecutive crown while the Green Batters, who owns four titles, are hoping to end a 13-year championship drought.
In softball action on Wednesday, defending champion Adamson University destroyed Ateneo, 18-0, to move to within two wins of clinching an outright Finals berth. The Lady Falcons, who improved to 10-0, extended their remarkable winning run to 58 games.
In other games, National University nipped De La Salle, 6-5, to move up to third place with a 6-5 card, while University of Santo Tomas edged University of the Philippines, 3-2, to tie its victim in fourth spot with 5-5.
Image credits: Kevin dela Cruz