La Salle annexes third straight V-League crown

De La Salle overcame a first set setback and rallied twice in the next two frames to pull off a thrilling come-from-behind 18-25, 27-25, 25-23, 25-20 victory over San Sebastian yesterday and clinch its third straight championship in the V-League presented by Shakey’s at the Blue Eagle Gym.

Manilla Santos, who earlier copped the league’s first Most Improved Player award, lived up to that recognition as she stepped up for an ailing Thai import Jindarat Kanchana with 26 hits, including 22 on kills, as the Lady Archers swept their best-of-three series, 2-0.

"It’s our heart that won it, the players just never gave up," said La Salle coach Ramil de Jesus, after steering the Lady Archers to their third straight victory in the event presented by Shakey’s Pizza and organized by Sports Vision.

Kanchana, who missed four games because of a left knee injury, scattered 19 points and came through with timely hits in the third set that keyed the victory for the Taft-based school, who swept the Lady Stags in the opener, 25-23, 25-13, 25-22.

Jaroensri Bualee, San Sebastian’s own Thai reinforcement, atoned for her mediocre 17-point effort in the series opener by scoring a game-high 34 hits, including 31 on attacks.

But La Salle’s solid net defense slowed her down in the fourth, which the Lady Archers dominated to complete the three-peat feat in the event backed by Accel, Mikasa, Aquabest, VFresh, ABC-5 and ABC Sports.

Bualee, however, took the finals MVP honors.

"We had an opportunity to beat them but we didn’t capitalize on it," said San Sebastian mentor Roger Gorayeb.