Lady Spikers go for the kill, 4-peat

MANILA, Philippines - A rare four-peat in UAAP women’s volleyball and a ninth title overall since 1999.

Eyes locked on this target, fancied La Salle seeks to finish off rival Ateneo for the Season 76 crown at the Mall of Asia today and further firm its status as the most dominant team in the league.

The Lady Spikers have positioned themselves for the kill against the upset-conscious Lady Eagles via a 25-14, 25-20, 19-25, 26-24 verdict last Saturday, poised to complete a near-perfect championship drive in the 4 p.m. encounter before another expected full-house crowd.

We have the advantage now but all the more we need to strive; we can’t afford to let this opportunity slip away,” said DLSU coach Ramil de Jesus in Pilipino.

DLSU looks to achieve the first four-string crown since Far Eastern did the trick in the 1970s. The Taft-based squad had previously won three successive plums from Seasons 66 to 68 but missed the crack at No. 4 as the university served out its suspension the following year.

Ateneo, a crew of youngsters who overachieved under Thai coach Anusorn Bundit, faces yet another win-or-go-home scenario in its improbable run this year. The Lady Eagles had to get past Adamson in the first stepladder semis then hurdled second seed National U twice to earn a crack at La Salle, which entered the finals outright for sweeping the elims.

“We have nothing to lose. They say nobody really expected us to reach this far so I think we have nothing to lose and everything to gain here. We’ll just play our game and give it our all without much expectations,” said AdMU captain Alyssa Valdez.

The Lady Eagles had already shown they can pull one over the seemingly invincible Lady Spikers, halting their rivals’ 30-game win streak with a 17-25, 25-23, 25-13, 25-20 shocker at the start of the finals.

This reality is not lost on the La Sallians.

We have to be ready for them, to be able to adjust to whoever the opposition will field in and whatever they throw at us),” said DLSU ace Ara Galang.

La Salle is expected to draw big games from Galang, skipper Abi Maraño, Mika Reyes, Cyd Demecillo and setter Kim Fajardo in gunning for the clincher against AdMU’s Valdez, Ella de Jesus, libero Dennise Lazaro, setter Jia Morado and Amy Ahomiro.