La Salle secures first win in Season 87 women's volleyball

c/o UAAP Media Team

UAAP Season 87 Volleyball Standings

Women
NU 2-0
UP 2-0
FEU 1-1
UST 1-1
DLSU 1-1
AdU 1-1
UE 0-2
Ateneo 0-2

Games on Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena

10 a.m. - Ateneo vs UP (Men's)
12 p.m. - NU vs FEU (Men's)
2 p.m. - Ateneo vs UP (Women's)
4 p.m. - NU vs FEU (Women's)

DE La Salle University pulled off a hard-fought 25-21, 26-24, 25-20 sweep of Adamson University to secure its first win in the UAAP Season 87 Women’s Volleyball Tournament on Saturday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.

Nearly a week after suffering a 23-25, 21-25, 18-25 defeat at the hands of reigning champion National University, the Lady Spikers shot down the Lady Falcons to barge into the win column and improve its slate to 1-1.

With Adamson threatening to send the game to a fourth set, Angel Canino hammered down a down-the-line hit before Alleiah Malaluan scored on consecutive plays to give La Salle a comfortable 23-17 advantage.

Canino, however, committed a service error before Shaina Nitura fired a cross-court attack to pull the Lady Falcons to within four, 19-23

The UAAP Season 85 MVP answered back with an impressive back row hit to push the Lady Spikers at match point, 24-19. Lilay Del Castillo then blew a service attempt, before Malaluan converted an emphatic off-the-block attack to complete the bounce-back win for La Salle.

“Sa tingin ko kulang namin is kumpyansa,” said Lady Spikers head coach Ramil De Jesus. “Dahil sa first game namin nagkulang sa paniniwala sa sarili and sa team. At the same time siguro dahil bago rin ‘yung setter.”

La Salle opened the season with a loss to holders National University, the first since Season 75 (2012-13)  to drop an opening day match.

“Doon sa mga pinagdaanan namin nung game na ‘yun, may mga natutunan ‘yung mga bata kagaya nung kailangan nila ma-overcome ‘yung pressure,” added De Jesus.

Malaluan top scored for La Salle with 16 points on 13 attacks, two aces, and one block. Canino backstopped her with 15 points and six excellent digs while Shevannah Laput chipped in 10 markers.

Mikole Reyes, the younger sister of former Lady Spiker Mika, bounced back from a rough debut, tossing 15 excellent sets on top of two points. Amie Provido had six markers, while Del Castillo had five.

Clinging to a 21-20 lead in the opener, Canino drilled a cross-court attack before Nitura’s mishit gave the Lady Spikers a 23-20 edge. Nitura responded with a kill but committed another error, setting up Malaluan’s down-the-line finish to secure the set for La Salle.

The tight second set was a game of runs, with Nitura and Frances Mordi leading a 3-0 surge that turned Adamson’s 21-23 deficit into a 24-23 advantage. But Canino stepped up, scoring on back-to-back plays before Nitura's costly attack error sealed the Lady Spikers’ 2-0 lead.

De La Salle aims to sustain its momentum against University of Sto. Tomas on Wednesday, 5:00 p.m. at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

Meanwhile, the Lady Falcons came back down to earth after a stellar debut against Ateneo de Manila University, dropping to 1-1.

Following her 33-point outburst on opening weekend, Nitura continued to impress for Adamson, finishing with 16 points—15 off attacks—while Mordi contributed 12 points, along with eight excellent digs and four excellent receptions in the loss.

Mayang Nuique, who sprained her right ankle on opening day, made her return to action, tallying five points after a right ankle injury cut her game short against the Blue Eagles.

The Lady Falcons look to rebound versus University of the East also on Wednesday at 1:00 p.m.