Powerhouse DLSU retains UAAP plum

MANILA, Philippines - They may have lost the battle but the De La Salle U Green Archers and Lady Archers have won the war.

Although the coveted women’s volleyball title and a record four-peat slipped away, the DLSU bets went on to soar to the top of the eight-school field after 28 events in UAAP Season 76, running away with the general championship for the second straight year.

Sustaining the charge from a breakthrough overall plum last season, the La Sallians piled up 289 points to beat closest rival University of Santo Tomas, the former kingpin which settled for No. 2 again with 274 points.

The Taft-based student athletes built their campaign on their morale-boosting triumph in men’s basketball back in October, following this up with victorious stints in women’s basketball, men’s taekwondo, men’s table tennis, women’s judo and women’s chess. 

La Salle complemented its six titles with runner-up finishes in widely-followed women’s volleyball, women’s badminton, men’s swimming, women’s table tennis, women’s tennis, men’s fencing and baseball. 

DLSU could have actually gone home with eight championships had they not bungled a pair of thrice-to-beat advantages in the ladies volleyball and table tennis title showdowns. The Lady Spikers, who swept the 14 game elims and sported a 30-0 slate prior to the finals, got extended to a rubbermatch by overachieving Ateneo and lost in the end, kissing their four-peat bid goodbye. For their part, The Lady Paddlers yielded thrice to finals foe University of the Philippines after an unbeaten run in the prelims to crash to second.

La Salle also had five third-place finishes, ended No. 4  thrice and got fifth five times to build a good cushion in the race where the league awards 15 points for every title, 12 for second place, 10 for third, and 8, 6, 4, 2, 1 to succeeding placings.

The Tigers and Tigresses, who saw their long reign snapped by the Archers last year, could only win two championships â€“ women’s taekwondo and poomsae – but gained from eight runners-up, six third places, and eight fourth spots to emerge second best.

University of the Philippines, winners of men’s and women’s swimming, and women’s table tennis finished third overall with 235 points while Ateneo, fresh from winning its first women’s volley conquest vaulted to No. 4 with 224. The Ateneans topped four other events, baseball, men’s and women’s badminton and men’s judo.

Far Eastern U, the titlists in men’s and women’s football, men’s and women’s athletics and men’s chess, was at fifth with 193 followed by men’s volleyball, men’s and women’s tennis, and men’s beach volley rulers National U with 169; men’s and women’s fencing victors University of the East with 138; and host Adamson, the softball and women’s beach volley champs, with 116.