DLSU extends unbeaten run for solo lead of women’s volleyball

Games on Wednesday
(Smart Araneta Coliseum)
9 a.m. – UE vs NU (Men)
11 a.m.– Ateneo vs FEU (Men)
1 p.m. – UE vs NU (Women)
3 p.m. – Ateneo vs FEU (Women)

DE LA Salle University (DLSU) kept mastery of Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), 25-14, 21-25, 25-15, 25-17, and stretched its unbeaten run to four games for a solo lead in the UAAP Season 88 women’s volleyball on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The DLSU Lady Spikers, still without ace player Shevana Laput due to illness, dropped a set for the first time this season but still took care of business in one hour and 44 minutes.

It’s the 17^th straight win for the Lady Spikers over the ADMU Blue Eagles, last tasting a defeat against their archrivals in Season 79 (2017), to snatch solo leadership halfway through the two-round prelims.

Middle blocker Lilay del Castillo broke out with a career-best 18 points on seven hits, three aces and eight blocks — the most for any Lady Spiker since Celine Hernandez’ nine in 2007 — to step up big time for Ms. Laput, who missed the game for the second straight match.

Ms. Laput was sidelined in La Salle’s sweep of University of the Philippines (UP), which in turn pulled the rug from under the reigning champion National University (NU) on Saturday that gave way for the Lady Spikers’ rise to the top. UP and NU share the second spot at 3-1.

Ms. Castillo’s strong showing complemented Angel Canino and Amie Provido with 21 and 17 points, respectively, underscoring the depth of coach Ramil de Jesus’ charges even without Ms. Laput.

Eshana Nunag quarterbacked La Salle’s offense with 19 sets plus three blocks but the spikers from Taft are still far from being contented, especially after relaxing in the second for their first taste of set defeat.

Ateneo remained in the hunt for a breakthrough win, falling to 0-4 despite the efforts of Ana Hermosura and JLo Delos Santos with 18 and 15 points, respectively, entering another tough duel against Far Eastern University on Wednesday at the same venue. — John Bryan Ulanday