ONCE was enough. A second time would have been too much - for now, at least.
La Salle made sure history did not repeat itself, dispatching of the University of the Philippines, 25-12, 25-15, 25-19, in UAAP Season 88 women’s volleyball on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Now unbeaten - and yet to drop a set - in three outings, the Lady Spikers avenged last season’s stunning five-set loss to the Fighting Maroons, a defeat that derailed their campaign before their eventual finals run.
This time, the green-and-white stayed composed and in control, halting State U's dream start and handing them their first loss of the season to drop to 2-1.
“Natuto lang talaga kami mula sa first two games namin na pagdating ng third set, nagre-relax,” said head coach Ramil de Jesus in a rare post-game press conference appearance.
“Ni-remind ko lang sila na kailangan kung ano ‘yung mindset sa first two sets, ganun pa rin dapat sa third set.”
La Salle dominance
The tone was set from the opening serve, as La Salle exploded to a blistering 12-1 start.
Caught flat-footed early, State U struggled to find rhythm, but managed to stave off four set points just to reach double-digits before the Lady Spikers sealed the opener.
The second frame followed a similar script, with the green-and-white stretching its lead to as many as 10 points to comfortably take a two-sets-to-none advantage.
With Shevana Laput out due to illness, the trio of Angel Canino, Amie Provido, and Shane Reterta stepped up to keep the pressure on and close out the sweep.
La Salle raced to a 17-8 cushion in the third set before UP trimmed the gap to 23-19.
But a Casiey Dongallo service error followed by a Canino kill ended any hopes of an extended fight.
Canino finished with 12 points on a 48 percent attack clip, while Provido and Reterta chipped in 11 markers apiece.
Rookie setter Eshana Nunag continued her steady play with 15 excellent sets, as another new face in Mikee Santos, who started as the lead opposite in Laput’s absence, had a strong shift with 10 points and two digs.
After back-to-back wins, the Fighting Maroons suffered their first setback through three tries.
Dongallo fronted the effort with six points, while Niña Ytang was limited to just four markers before exiting late in Set 3 due to dizziness.
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