MANILA, Philippines – The DLSU Lady Spikers assured themselves of at least a playoff for a slot in the Final Four as they clinched their ninth win of UAAP Season 85, edging FEU, 30-28, 25-12, 28-26, in their second-round encounter at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City on Wednesday.
Led by Angel Canino's 16 points, La Salle battled back from an early 1-6 deficit with a victory in the extended opening set.
Canino fired back-to-back crosscourt hits after things were tied at 28-all to clinch the hard-fought set win for DLSU.
"Yung first set, ano eh, we started flat. Yun nga, medyo parang hindi sila makagalaw," lamented DLSU assistant coach Noel Orcullo.
"Niremind lang namin sila na nawawala tayo sa sistema. Iba yung ginagalaw niyo, sa pinractice natin. Yun lang, yun lang pinaalala namin," he added.
The win came even as Leila Cruz watched from the sidelines as she was revealed to have suffered an ACL injury in her right knee after a bad fall during their second round encounter against the NU Lady Bulldogs last weekend.
Jyne Soreno took her place in the starting six and finished with eight points.
DLSU rode the momentum of their comeback victory as they finished the set with a 17-3 run after FEU took the 9-8 lead off of a Jolina dela Cruz hit that went out.
They also needed to fend off the Lady Tams in Set 3 as Canino's attack didn't go over the net and FEU reached set point, 24-23.
Jolina dela Cruz scored on a cross-court hit to give DLSU match point, 27-26. Jovelyn Fernandez then committed an attack error to seal the sweep for La Salle.
Dela Cruz took Player of the Game honors with 13 points along with 14 excellent digs. Thea Gagate also finished in double-digit scoring with 11 points.
Chenie Tagaod led the way for the Lady Tams, who fall to 4-5 with 13 points.
The Taft-based spikers face the UST Golden Tigresses next on Sunday, April 2, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Lady Tams, meanwhile, will try to bounce back against the listless UE Lady Warriors also on Sunday.