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The La Salle Lady Spikers are completing a 14-0 sweep of the UAAP Season 88 elimination round as they scramble to enter the finals directly, thus moving ahead with two wins in the much-anticipated tournament.
MANILA, Philippines – La Salle proved to be one of its kind, sweeping the sweepstakes en route to the finals for the 22nd time in UAAP women’s volleyball history.
The Lady Spikers completed a perfect 14-0 run and booked themselves an automatic ticket to the finals of Season 88 after escaping 27-25, 15-25, 23-25, 25-23, 15-13 against the rivals NU Lady Bulldogs on Sunday, April 19, at the Mall of Asia Finladder Four Way Format.
La Salle became the first team to win all of its playoff games since NU, then led by first-ever women’s MVP Bella Belen, won the Season 84 championship without dropping a game.
“We will not give up our goals,” La Salle assistant coach Noel Orcullo said in Filipino after the game. “How we started is also how we would end.”
“We have shown our hearts and the players have shown their hearts… Maybe, this is our destiny.”
La Salle won seven straight matches and survived three five-set contests, including a tiebreaker against the Lady Bulldogs, who led many times late in the final set.
However, the game ended in controversy as the Lady Spikers’ touchdown challenge was ruled a foul by NU’s Arah Panique, giving La Salle a point.
“A bad win, but a win is a win,” Orcullo said. “It’s all about the rest of the game.”
Shane Reterta led La Salle with 21 points, 15 digs, and 18 receptions, while Angel Canino had 15 points, all from attacks.
Shevana Laput scored 16 points and Amie Provido added 15 for the Lady Spikers.
It was the first time La Salle swept the playoffs since Season 76 in 2014, although the Lady Spikers finished second that year to the Ateneo Blue Eagles.
With the loss, the Lady Bulldogs, who now stand 9-4, will have to win their final elimination match against the UST Golden Tigresses on Wednesday to secure the No. 2 seed.
A win for UST would set up a playoff for 2nd place between NU and the Adamson Lady Falcons, while the Golden Tigresses would get a 4th place matchup against the FEU Tamaraws.
The No. 2 seed would get a bye into the Fourth Stage of the ladder, needing just one win to face the Lady Spikers in the best-of-three final. – Rappler.com
