UAAP: La Salle upsets NU for third straight win; Adamson outlasts UP in men’s volleyball

De La Salle University pulled off an upset over defending champion National University, 19-25, 25-20, 25-23, 22-25, 15-10, to close the first round of the UAAP Season 88 men’s volleyball tournament on Sunday at Mall of Asia Arena.

The victory marked the Green Spikers’ third straight win after opening the season with four consecutive losses.

Emman Hernandez led La Salle with 18 points, along with 12 receptions and eight digs, while Eugene Gloria tallied a double-double of 14 points and 12 receptions to go with four digs. Issa Ouisseini added 14 points and three digs, while Uriel Mendoza chipped in 12 points in the match that lasted around two hours.

“Ang reminder ko lang sa team, play one game at a time. Sabi ko nga it doesn’t matter anong resulta ng game as long as we play hard and give our all. So far, nagbunga naman ‘yung resulta,” said La Salle head coach Jose Roque.

“Nandoon naman ‘yung faith ko sa team. Sabi ko nga, isa-isahin natin para may pacing.”

Leo Ordiales paced the Bulldogs with 22 points, while Jade Disquitado had 18 points and 17 receptions. Buds Buddin added 13 points and 12 receptions as NU slipped to 5-2.

Earlier, Adamson University outlasted the University of the Philippines in another five-set thriller, 25-21, 28-26, 22-25, 25-27, 15-13.

Lance Flestado powered Adamson with 28 points, while Joel Menor and Ahmed Tahiluddin contributed 12 points each. John Gay orchestrated the offense with 31 excellent sets and added seven points.

The victory spoiled Olayemi Raheem’s 35-point explosion for the Fighting Maroons.

Adamson improved to 2-5, while UP dropped to the same record.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News