UAAP: DLSU Lady Spikers stay unbeaten, win in straight sets over Lady Tamaraws

The De La Salle Lady Spikers devastated the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws in straight sets, 25-19 25-18 25-16, on Sunday at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

Ara Galang, who recently celebrated her birthday last January 4, gave the La Salle community a treat by scoring 18 points, 17 off attacks, leading her team and stopping any possible runs that the Lady Tams tried to mount.

“Maaga natapos yung game namin noong December, tuloy-tuloy ‘yan hanggang 23 tapos nag-break kami,” said De La Salle Head Coach Ramil de Jesus of their preparations for this game. “Bumalik kami ng 26 tapos tuloy-tuloy hanggang 30,” he added.

The Lady Spikers are on a tear, holding a perfect 5-0 slate so far, not having lost a single set in the entirety of the tourney. The Lady Tams meanwhile join UST in the lower half of the standings, holders of a 2-3 win-loss record.

“Isa ‘yan sa mga dapat paghandaan ng team. ‘Pag naka-experience matalo ng set, dapat mabilis maka-recover,” said Coach De Jesus. “So ‘yun yung dapat naming paghandaan talaga, kung pano maka-recover sa set na talo.”

The stage is set for a Season 75 Finals rematch next Saturday, when La Salle faces a revamped Ateneo roster that seeks to steal the number one spot.

“Bukas pa namin mai-scout yung Ateneo. Kailangan pag-aralan pa yung game namin. This week saka pa lang kami sa Ateneo, kasi nag-focus muna kami sa FEU,” said Coach de Jesus. He added, “Makikita mo naman yung Ateneo sa ngayon maganda yung nilalaro. Marami ring bago so di mo rin kayang baliwalain.”

Both teams matched up evenly, locking horns at five points early in the first set until Galang shifted up front and went off for five straight markers, giving DLSU a three-point lead, 11-8. Once Galang and Reyes rotated up front, La Salle expanded the lead to 10 points at most, twice. FEU managed to trim the deficit to just five, drawing three scores from Basas in that stretch, but it was a case of too little, too late, as Galang ended the set with an exclamation point by wiping off a kill off FEU’s blockers, 25-19.

FEU momentarily grabbed the lead in the second set at 6-5. However, DLSU’s Victonara Galang gave the Lady Spikers a three-point lead, which they sustained for most of the game. The Lady Tams hung around, with the lead swinging from three to four points, but the floodgates opened as four unforced errors from the green and gold contributed to a seven-point swing in favor of La Salle, 24-14. Though FEU managed to cut the lead to seven, a long ball from Sam Dawson gave La Salle a two-set advantage, 25-18.

As was the trend, the Lady Tams managed to hang around early in the set, but eventually lost footing as three consecutive FEU errors wedged a four-point advantage in favor of La Salle, 10-6. Shaky play from Bernadeth Pons and Mary Palma continued to bother the Lady Tams’ rhythm, while Coach De Jesus plugged in some of his reserves into the floor. Seldom-used opposite hitter Alexandra Tan finished the job for her squad with a spike, 25-16.

Galang paced her DLSU squad with 18 points, followed by Aby Marano with 10 of her own. Setter Kim Fajardo logged 17 excellent sets.

No one from Far Eastern U tallied double figures in scoring, with rookie Geneveve Casugod leading her team with eight points, three off blocks, followed by Charlemagne Simborio with seven. Palma and Pons added six points apiece. FEU had more success receiving the ball with 15 excellent receptions, but unforced errors killed them, making 24 compared to La Salle’s 16.

The Lady Spikers look to add to the win column as they go against the Ateneo Lady Spikers on Saturday, January 11 at 4pm, while the Lady Tams try to strengthen their hold on the fourth spot as they face off against the UST Tigresses on Sunday, January 12, at 4pm. - BR, GMA News