DE La Salle University recovered from a third-set hiccup to defeat Adamson University, 25-20, 27-25, 24-26, 25-17, forging a tie for third place in the UAAP Season 87 Men’s Volleyball Tournament, Wednesday afternoon at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Fueled by the 26-point explosion of graduating spiker Noel Kampton, the Green Spikers improved to a share of third place alongside the UST Golden Spikers with identical 9-4 records.
Despite facing an also-ran team in Adamson, La Salle made sure to not rest on its laurels as the victory — alongside UST’s sweep of University of the Philippines earlier today — meant that the third seed in the men’s division’s Final Four will be determined in the last set of elimination games come the weekend at the SMART Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.
A Green Spikers triumph over the top-ranked FEU Tamaraws on Saturday, coupled by a Golden Spikers loss against the NU Bulldogs on Sunday will give them the No. 3 seed.
If UST and La Salle still hold identical win-loss records after the final weekend of elims, the Golden Spikers will grab the No. 3 spot by virtue of the win over the other rule.
“Siguro, it’s more of the mental aspect na lang kailangan namin i-work on. The technique and skills ay nandoon, pero it’s just that naghahabol kami ‘eh, kaya hindi namin minsan makita kung paano kami maglaro as a team, ‘yon yung nagiging struggle namin. We are still on track on finding the right recipe para mapakita kung anong klaseng laro maibibigay ng DLSU,” Green Spikers head coach Jose Roque said.
Eager to prevent a sweep, the Soaring Falcons rallied from three points down in the extended third set. With the Green Spikers at match point, Adamson unleashed three straight points—a John Gay crosscourt hit, a Jude Aguilar off-the-block attack, and a RJ Obeda ace—to force a fourth set.
Despite the setback, the Green Spikers immediately recovered with a flurry of well-orchestrated attacks and floor defense to prevent another five-setter match at the hands of an already-eliminated team.
Down at 11-12 in the fourth frame, La Salle unleashed a dominant 10-3 run — capped with a Rui Ventura block, two quick hits from Eric Layug, and a 1-2 play from Eco Adajar — to build a comfortable 22-15 cushion.
Banking on two attack errors from Aguilar and Dan Gutierrez, the Green Spikers annexed their ninth win in 13 outings with a block by Layug.
Kampton received ample support from Ventura’s 19-point outing, while Hernandez broke out with 11 points on 10 attacks with 11 excellent receptions and three excellent digs.
Nat del Pilar added eight points on five attacks and three blocks, while Layug chipped in six points in the win.
Adajar tossed 25 excellent sets along with three points and three excellent digs in the one hour and 47-minute victory, while team captain Menard Guerrero provided 19 excellent receptions and 10 excellent digs.
After winning its second-round opener against a winless University of the East side, Adamson skidded to its fifth straight loss, remaining at seventh place with a 2-11 record.
Eager to end Season 87 on a high note, the Soaring Falcons will clash against the Fighting Maroons on Saturday, also at the Big Dome.
Aguilar paced Adamson in the losing effort with 17 points on 16 attacks, while Gutierrez tallied 16 points on 14 attacks with 10 excellent receptions.
Paulino achieved nine points on eight attacks with six excellent receptions, while Leo Coguimbal contributed eight points on four attacks and four blocks.
Games on Saturday
(SMART Araneta Coliseum)
9 a.m. – Ateneo vs UE (Men)
11 a.m. – FEU vs DLSU (Men)
1 p.m. – Ateneo vs UE (Women)
3 p.m. – FEU vs DLSU (Women)
