MANILA, Philippines – A blistering first frame set the tone for De La Salle University Lady Spikers in their rout of the Far Eastern University (FEU) Lady Tamaraws on Wednesday at the Filoil Flying V Centre.
The defending champion Lady Spikers overpowered the Lady Tamaraws, 25-5, 25-23, 25-23, to bounce back from their second loss of the season and improve to 6-2 in the UAAP Season 79 women's volleyball tournament.
Their 20-point demolition of FEU in the first set was the most dominant in the UAAP since University of Santo Tomas' 25-2 rout of University of the East back in January 2010.
Desiree Cheng and Aduke Ogunsanya each had 11 points, while Tin Tiamzon tallied 10 markers. La Salle, as a team, had 34 attack points and 10 aces, while committing only 18 unforced errors. In contrast, FEU was erratic, committing 28 errors in just three sets.
Coming off a heartbreaking four-set loss against arch-rival Ateneo de Manila University last Saturday, the defending champions showed no mercy as they opened the second round of the tournament on a winning note.
Kianna Dy and Cheng took turns battering the FEU defense with their hits, while Ogunsanya and Majoy Baron manned the net to limit the Lady Tamaraws to a single attack point in the opener. Four of FEU's five points in the first frame came through La Salle's unforced errors.
"Hindi (expected) pero siguro, madami ring naging problema ang FEU sa first set," said De Jesus.
The Lady Tamaraws found their groove in the second set, going toe-to-toe with the Lady Spikers with Bernadeth Pons leading the way on offense. A 5-0 FEU run, built on Pons' and Remy Palma's attacks, allowed the Lady Tamaraws to tie the second set at 19-all.
The two squads alternated points from there, with Palma's power tip keeping FEU in the set, 23-24. However, her ensuing serve went long, allowing La Salle to go up two sets to none.
"Siguro, natuto din 'yung FEU. Medyo malamig sila sa umpisa, so sa second set, kailangan mas mag-adjust sila," said De Jesus.
La Salle then broke the third set open following the second technical timeout, with Cheng firing two hits in a 6-1 run that turned a 15-all deadlock into a 21-16 lead for the Lady Spikers.
The Lady Tamaraws came to within one point, 23-24, off an attack by Heather Guino-o, but the Lady Spikers were able to get the job done this time around, thanks to Tin Tiamzon's off-the-block hit.
The Lady Spikers tightened their grip on solo second place, while staying within distance of Ateneo (6-1). FEU, meanwhile, lost back-to-back games for the first time in the tournament, and dropped to sixth place with a 4-4 win-loss record.
No player finished in double-digits for FEU, with Palma scoring nine and Pons tallying eight markers. The Lady Tamaraws struggled with their offense all game long. Aside from giving up 10 aces, they converted only 24 of 98 spikes.
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