lady spikers sweep tigresses in straight sets

After a one-sided finals last year, the perennial rivals of UAAP Women’s Volleyball, De La Salle Lady Spikers and UST Tigresses, faces each other once again in their first match up of the season. And with a very dominant performance, the ladies in green swept the ladies of España in straight sets (25-20, 25-19, 25-12).

This match shone light on the critical differences between the two championed teams coming into the season. In the UST side, the loss of Din Din Santiago (middle blocker) and Angeli Tabaquero (open spiker) has become more apparent. Also, the absence of steady reception from Curato (libero) strained the team’s floor defense against the serves and attacks from the opposing team. Midori Hirotsuji, the rookie in the line-up could do a little better when it comes to attacking and defense—feats mostly developed from experience. It is crystal clear, that Aiza Maizo is the heart of this team. Ortiz, Caballejo, and Banaticla should step up if they really want to win this season. Meanwhile, everything from DLSU team seemed like an upgrade. Coming into the season with the team intact, Coach Ramil found a gem—a brilliant setter in the name of Esperanza. Unlike her rookie counterpart, she plays more confident and adds more height to the team’s defense (which was a problem when they still had Martinez as the setter). Reinforcing DLSU’s arsenal is Michelle Gumabao (utility spiker). Her high percentage attacks and towering height in the net made La Salle a more dominant team than ever before.

Statistics-wise, it is apparent that La Salle has the advantage to win it all, however, this is how La Salle started the last season; entering the 2nd Round without a loss only to be squashed by UST at the end. I guess their next matches against each other will stand as the true tests for these two teams, after making all the adjustments and fine-tuning every aspect of their game. And so the questions go: How will La Salle cope up to the pressure of being undefeated, and could UST keep their composure and beat their rival to win the championship? Season 73 couldn’t be more unpredictable...