Games on Wednesday
(Filoil EcoOil Centre)
9 a.m. – La Salle vs Ateneo (men)
11 a.m. – La Salle vs Ateneo (women)
3 p.m. – UST vs Adamson (men)
5 p.m. – UST vs Adamson (women)
RED-HOT De La Salle University shores up its drive for a twice-to-beat incentive against its fierce but struggling rival Ateneo de Manila University initially of the crucial second round of motion within the UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball on Wednesday on the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
Game time is at 11 a.m. with the DLSU Lady Spikers (5-2) eyeing their fifth straight win to maintain with the University of Santo Tomas Golden Tigresses in a mad scramble for the second seed behind unbeaten and reigning champion National University Lady Bulldogs (7-0).
Santo Tomas (5-2), which saw its five-game winning run end by the hands of NU in a five-set thriller last weekend to finish the primary round, shoots for a similar mission against the free-falling Adamson University (2-5) within the fundamental game at 5 p.m.
Their men’s teams also battle within the pivotal Final 4 placing with La Salle (4-3) and Ateneo (4-3) facing off at 9 a.m. followed by the duel between Santo Tomas (4-3) and Adamson (1-6) at 3 p.m.
The highlight, nevertheless, is on La Salle as Santo Tomas still holds the tiebreaker in a share of the No. 2 seed following its big win within the season opener.
“I need to see the maturity of the team within the second round,” said coach Ramil de Jesus, whose squad was quick to recuperate from a 1-2 start — tied for the college’s worst in almost 20 years — with 4 straight wins to finish the primary round.
“We had a great run to finish the round but I need to see consistency. We still have some things to shine from the beginning to the tip of the second round. That’s our goal.”
Greater than its fifth straight win, the Lady Spikers will even be out within the battlefield to maintain mastery of the Blue Eagles with 15 straight wins of their rivalry since 2017.
La Salle, which last bowed to Ateneo within the UAAP Season 79 finals, ran away with a 25-15, 25-14, 20-25, 25-19, win over the latter in the primary round before sweeping FEU to cap its campaign.
The Blue Eagles, then again, just got here off a 20-25, 25-16, 22-25, 25-15, 15-13 win over the University of the East Lady Warriors to snap a three-game losing skid and gain a share of fifth spot with Adamson at 2-5. — John Bryan Ulanday
