La Salle out to clear another obstacle to sweep and outright Finals slot
La Salle has the elimination round sweep in Season 88 of the UAAP women’s volleyball tournament farthest from its mind, as the Lady Spikers try to stay focused and in control of their emotions heading into a titanic clash with defending champion National University.
And for that match, if everything goes well for the Lady Spikers in their next two games counting an 11 a.m. clash with Ateneo on Saturday, then La Salle will have nothing else to go for but the sweep and an outright Finals berth.
“We are focused on whoever we are set to play, that’s what we (coaching staff) keep telling them (Lady Spikers),” assistant coach Noel Orcullo said in Filipino ahead of their clash with the Blue Eagles, whom they beat in four sets in the first round.
“We keep telling them to not pressure themselves with the sweep, for them to not dwell on that,” he added.
La Salle has an 11-0 record coming into the clash with the Eagles at FilOil Centre in San Juan, the first of two matches that can be considered as ‘light’ before battling the Bulldogs on April 19.
The Lady Spikers are so on target that many see the Eagles as the total underdogs, even if they were able to win a set last March 2. After Ateneo, La Salle has lowly University of the East before the National U match.
La Salle would obviously want to sweep the eliminations to put a stepladder semifinals in place. That would mean resting for two playdates before knowing a title series foe, something that will come in real handy at this stage in the tournament.
And with the Final Four having a great chance of not being played, the race for No. 2 carries a lot of importance heading into the homestretch of classification, with University of Santo Tomas trying to stay in the running by winning its clash with Adamson in the 5 p.m. contest.
The Growling Tigresses, who are looking to avenge their straight-set defeat to the Lady Falcons in the first round, hold a 7-4 record—just one game behind the Lady Bulldogs (8-3) in the battle for the second seed.
The match is crucial for UST, as it also holds only a one-game cushion over joint fourth placers Far Eastern University and Adamson, both carrying 6-5 records.
The Tigresses are also aiming to clean up their mistakes after a 25-27, 22-25, 12-25 loss to Adamson last March 7.
