DLSU Lady, Green Spikers ready to make their mark in UAAP Season 81 Beach Volleyball

Photos from DLSU Sports and F2 Logistics Cargo Movers Facebook page

The De La Salle University Beach Volleyball Teams are looking to eclipse their finishes last year as they aim for the podium in the UAAP Season 81 Beach Volleyball Tournament to be held at the Mall of Asia Sands by the Bay.

La Salle’s men’s team will front new faces in Geraint Bacon, Paul Serrano and Raprap Sumalinog. On the other hand, the women’s crew will be bannered by veterans Tin Tiamzon, May Luna and Michelle Morente.

Lady Spikers aim for experience, podium finish

The Lady Spikers ranked fourth in Season 80, a seed lower than what they had the previous year. Known as an indoor volleyball powerhouse, DLSU hopes to translate its success to the sands. The Taft squad will try to regain its lost glory after former Lady Spikers Kim Fajardo and Cyd Demecillo clinched the school’s first and only title in beach volleyball in 2015.

Luna and Tiamzon were set for another podium finish last year, but the duo succumbed to the UP Lady Maroons to settle for fourth.

The high-soaring pair got their feet wet when they debuted for the Green and White in the beach volleyball scene last year. Albeit the unfamiliar atmosphere, Luna and Tiamzon showcased an impressive performance as they still barged into the Final Four. They might have had miscues, but the latter believes that experience made them ready for the competition.

“We weren’t far behind the top teams last season, which were UST, UP, and FEU considering that May and I were relatively a new pair. I think that one of the lapses we had was that we couldn’t execute some of the things we needed to do in crucial moments. And going into this season I think we’re more prepared to deliver in those clutch moments.” Tiamzon said.

Luna echoed her teammate’s sentiments saying, “siguro kasi it matters talaga yung composure during tight games, napapairal yung emotion before the situation.”

Reinforcing them this season is the hard-hitting Mich Morente, who is returning to collegiate volleyball after serving residency in the previous year. With the addition of a veteran presence and rigorous training, an ecstatic Tiamzon said that La Salle has set its sights to another strong showing.

“I’m excited with what our team dynamics might be this season with ate Mich Morente. I also think that we are more prepared this season, we had a lot more training and we really focused on our core beach volley team a lot with the help of our coaches.”

Asked about their goal for this season, Tiamzon shared, “the same as previous years, which is to be part of the top 4 and maybe even make it to the finals. And gain more experience for the indoor season, especially now that we are starting over as a team.”

Green Spikers off to a fresh start

A new lineup in Geraint Bacon, neophytes Paul Serrano and Raprap Sumalinog will take on the beach volleyball test in the men’s division. Coach Norman Miguel and his team will fight for a Final Four slot in Season 81.

Last season, the Green Spikers failed to reach the semifinals as they ended the tournament with a seventh-place finish, holding a 2-5 win-loss record.

Bacon, the only veteran to play for the Green Spikers, mentioned that since his teammates are rookies, they have been working on their chemistry to improve communication.

“Rookies mga kasama ko so we just have to work our chemistry inside the sand court,” he said.

Knowing that the team is young, Bacon insisted that they will approach the competition ‘one game at a time’ and hopefully they can surprise everyone. He, though, made it clear that the main goal is to rank higher this year, “Sabi ni coach goal namin is mag rank up from last season’s 7th place.

“In addition, Sumalinog keeps the reminders of the coaches during training in his mind as he vows to give his all for the Green and White on the sand.

“Rookie palang po ako this season pero as a rookie po gagawin ko lang po lahat ng ginagawa namin sa training at lahat ng aral na palagi sakin sinasabi at pinapaalala ng coaches ko before and after training. And sa lahat ng sacrifice at hirap na pinagdadaanan namin gusto namin masuklian lahat ng iyon ng magandang resulta. At sa darating na laro namin bukas ay inaalay namin sa buong La Salle Community.” He said.

UAAP Season 81 Beach Volleyball starts tomorrow! Catch the Green and Lady Spikers as they face UE and FEU respectively.

 

 

Green Spikers succumb to Soaring Falcons in crucial match

 

The De La Salle University Green Spikers fell short to the Adamson Soaring Falcons in four sets, 22-25, 25-16, 15-25, 27-29, in the second round of the UAAP Season 80 Men’s Volleyball Tournament at the FilOil Arena in San Juan, Wednesday.

The Soaring Falcons won the first set after the two teams showcased strong defensive prowess and powerful attacking strikes, but AdU was the squad who came out on top.

The Taft-based squad managed to tie the game after claiming the second set 25-19. It was highlighted by the powerful attacks and tower defenses of both Onia and Woo as they gave DLSU the set, 25 16.

In the third, however, ADU bounced back as they contained La Salle’s fire power. The Green Spikers tried to make a comeback, but failed to contain the Falcons’ powerful strikes, 15-25.

The fourth canto saw both teams exchange with powerful attacks strong defensive stops. Woo gave his all as he extended the set and even put DLSU at set point. ADU secured the match point after two crucial errors committed by the Green Spikers, 27-29.

The loss was crucial in La Salle’s bid to enter the Final Four.

DLSU Green Spikers defeat UP Fighting Maroons, keep Final Four hopes alive

The De La Salle University Green Spikers avoided late scares from the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons to win the three-set match, 25-22, 25-23, 25-20, on Saturday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

The Green Spikers start strong. The Fighting Maroons threaten late in the period. The former shrug it off and pull away to earn the set. This has been the story of the game through the three sets.

La Salle jumped off to a 4-1 lead over UP after Cris Dumago rejected an attack from the latter. UP made it a one-point game, 5-4, with a Mac Millete off-the-block hit. But, Arjay Onia answered with a service ace to keep his team ahead, 7-4. Furthermore, Raymark Woo connected an attack to maintain the Green Spikers’ three-point lead, 10-7. However, Millete caught fire to tie the set at 10-all. Onia and Woo both scored to lift La Salle and give them back the lead. The latter converted one off the block as the Green Spikers led by two, 16-14, heading into the second technical timeout.

After the break, though, the Fighting Maroons gained momentum. Gian San Pascual ignited a 4-0 run that turned a 16-14 deficit into a 16-18 lead. Millete, on the other hand, continued to pound on La Salle with consecutive off-the-block attacks as UP remained ahead, 18-20. But, the Green Spikers countered the Fighting Maroons’ attack, tying it at 20-all with a block on Millete. A ball out by Jerry San Pedro gave the lead back to La Salle, 22-21. Veterans Reuel Asia and Zim Maravilla took over the finishing touches as the Green Spikers take Set 1, 25-22.

It was a see-saw battle to start the second period as the two teams remained knotted at 5-all. Errors on the part of the Diliman-based squad sent the set to the first technical timeout, with the Taft-based squad up, 8-5. The latter pushed their lead to five, 11-6, after Millete overcooked his attack and Onia served an ace. Another ace by Woo forced UP head coach Hans Chuacuco to burn a timeout as La Salle started to pull away, 15-9.

Similar to the opening set, the Fighting Maroons woke up midway through the set and threaten the Green Spikers. Back-to-back blocks by UP cut La Salle’s lead down to two, 17-15. An ace by Joshua Castillo brought them even closer, 20-19, before San Pedro hit two straight points to tie it at 21-all. Onia connected off-the-block to end the longest rally of the game and push his team to within the set, 24-23. Lastly, Reyes rejected UP to seal the set, 25-23, and take a commanding 2-0 lead over the Fighting Maroons.

The Green Spikers looked to finish the Fighting Maroons in the third set after opening an 8-3 lead heading into the first technical timeout. But, an error on La Salle brought UP to within four, 9-5. Nonetheless, the former detonated a 7-1 bomb to create the widest gap of the game, 16-6. The Fighting Maroons, though, were able to slowly cut the deficit.

UP forced three straight La Salle lapses to trim the latter’s lead to six, 18-12. Then, Castillo blocked Woo to make it a five-point game, 19-14. Moreover, a Fighting Maroon served an ace to make it a four-point game, 20-16. Millete continued to rally the maroon shirts as La Salle held on to a two-point lead, 21-19. A miscue on the side of the green shirts brought UP to within one, 21-20. However, the Green Spikers’ starting unit locked in and took over the endgame. Back-to-back blocks eventually put La Salle to match point, 24-20. Finally, Onia finished the set, 25-20, with an attack as the Green Spikers avoided a collapse.

Arjay Onia finished with 20 points on 16 attacks, two blocks, and two serves en route to the Player of the Game citation.

The DLSU Green Spikers snapped their two-game losing skid and improved to 5-8. Though chances of entering the Final Four remain slim, they look to end the eliminations with a win over the FEU Tamaraws on April 15, Sunday, 8 AM at the same venue.

DLSU Green Spikers succumb to UST Growling Tigers

The De La Salle University Green Spikers lost to the UST Growling Tigers in four sets, 22-25, 20-25, 25-14, 21-25, on Sunday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.

The Green Spikers were able to equalize the intensity of the Growling Tigers throughout each set. However, La Salle committed errors towards the end of the periods.

Both teams were neck-and-neck as they showed consistency during the first set. Attacks from Arjay Onia kept La Salle on tail with Cris Dumago tying the game at 15 after a powerful back row kill. Raymark Woo, then, showed his pace as a veteran as he went down the line. JD Delos Reyes knotted it again at 18-all. But UST’s Manuel Medina pushed their lead to four, 23-19, as they eventually won the set.

Another tight period as the second set heated up early. Errors from both sides tied the game at 8-8 before Joshua Umandal boosted up UST by three consecutive points. Dumago and Onia stopped the bleeding at 13-15 together with Woo’s off the block at 14-16. A one-man block by Reyes prompted UST to call for time as La Salle closes in at 18-19. Errors hurt La Salle as they yield another set to the Tigers.

The Green and White made the tables turn as they started the third set with back-to-back aces from Woo to build an early 4-1 lead. Reyes came through with a block and a quick combination play which put La Salle up by six, 9-3. The lead went up to as much as eleven points as Woo scored twice off the blockers’ hands, while Dumago pulling off a drop, 16-5. DLSU continued to pounce on UST to extend the game.

The Taft-based squad kept it going in the fourth set. A quick attack and a block from Reyes gave La Salle another draw at 6-all. The teams answered back for every point made against them in a do-or-die set. A crosscourt kill from Onia cut the deficit to two, 17-19, but UST was a force to reckon with as the Green Spikers failed to force a fifth set.

With the current standings still in disposition, La Salle stooped down to 4-7, while UST climbed up to 5-6.

The DLSU Green Spikers will continue to fight against the Adamson Soaring Falcons on April 4, 10 AM, at the Filoil Flying V Centre.

Staying alive: Green Spikers cruise past UE to keep Final Four hopes burning

The De La Salle University Green Spikers showed no mercy on Wednesday as they took down the University of the East in a sweep, 25-23, 25-17, 25-15, at the FilOil Flying V Center in a valiant win to keep up with the rest of the teams vying for the remaining Final Four spots.

La Salle was determined to come out victorious, as a win would keep their Final Four hopes alive in a tight race with Adamson University and the University of Santo Tomas.

Standing in their way were the UE Red Warriors, who are aching to finally add one to the win column.

The first set started with an exchange of runs between the two teams. With the score at 23-20 in favor of the Green Spikers, a Bon Patacsil block cut and an Inoferio spike cut the lead down to one. An error from DLSU equalized the game at 23-all.

From then on, La Salle never looked back, as a JD Delos Reyes hit and an Arjay Onia block gave the Taft-based squad the opening set victory.

It was another gritty start to the set in the second canto, with a resilient UE team challenging the spikers of La Salle with their defense. A huge spike from Raymark Woo ignited a fire for the Green and White, who jumped to a 16-9 lead, and never looked back to win the set, 25-17.

The third set gave the red side all the more headaches, as La Salle’s Dumago, Woo, and Onia all porvided the heroics to sweep the Red Warriors with a win at the third, 25-15.

Player of the Game honors went to Arjay Onia, who led DLSU in scoring with 18 points on 16 spikes, a block, and an ace. Raymark Woo added 14 points (11 spikes, 2 aces, 1 block) and Cris Dumago chipped in 9 points.

With the victory, DLSU now enters a three-way tie with Adamson and UST for the fourth and final spot of the semifinals, behind powerhouses NU, Ateneo, and FEU.

The Green Spikers denied the Red Warriors of a win, who still have yet to get a taste victory in Season 80.

La Salle will look to solidify a playoff berth as they take on Adamson University on April 4 at the same venue in what should be a grind-it-out match against the hungry Falcons.

DLSU Green Spikers fall short against the NU Bulldogs

The De La Salle University Green Spikers bowed down to the National University Bulldogs in four sets, 24-26, 25-19, 20-25, 26-28, in the UAAP Season 80 Men’s Volleyball Tournament at the FilOil Arena in San Juan, earlier today.

The Bulldogs dominated early on in the first set as they generated a four-point rally. The powerful spikes from Fauzi Ismail and James Natividad initiated the rally along with a service ace from Bryan Bagunas.

La Salle made a five-point run as they cut the deficit to one but Kim Malabunga ended the first set with a block as he closed it out in favor of the Bulldogs.

The Taft-based squad managed to tie the game aftera victory in the second set 25-19. It was highlighted by a six-point run behind strong performances of Arjay Onia and John Delos Reyes.

In the third, however, NU bounced back as they attacked La Salle’s defense with powerful strikes. The Green Spikers tried to counter with their defense, but failed to contain the Bulldogs’ fire power, 20-25.

The fourth set proved to be another exciting one as both teams exchange with powerful attacks and strong defensive efforts. La Salle managed to have a three-point advantage after the first technical time-out. NU was able to secure a match point but Dumago never gave up as he tried to salvage the game by extending the set twice. The Green Spikers could only do so much as the NU Bulldogs captured the set and match.

The loss gave La Salle a 3-6 win-loss record which ties them with UP in sixth place in the standings. The Green Spikers will they face the UST Growling Tigers on March 25, 8 am at at the Filoil Flying V Arena.

DLSU Green Spikers end first round with three-set loss to Ateneo

The De La Salle University Green Spikers lost to the Ateneo Blue Eagles in straight sets, 16-25, 26-28, 22-25, on Saturday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

The Green Spikers were able to match the intensity of the Blue Eagles in the early part of each set. However, the defending champions were too much to handle as La Salle committed mental lapses to end the periods.

La Salle jumped off to a quick 3-0 lead. Third year setter Wayne Marco set up JD Delos Reyes for an attack, but UAAP MVP Marck Espejo answered with his own. Veteran hitter Raymark Woo fumbled a service as Ateneo closed in, 5-3. Espejo, then tied it at 5-all with back-to-back aces. The Blue Eagles marched on to the first technical timeout with an 8-7 lead over the Green Spikers. The latter knotted the set again, 9-9, following a Karl Baysa ball out. Ateneo capitalized La Salle’s errors to put them up by four, 15-11. They led by as much as five, 17-12, with another Green Spiker error. La Salle found themselves on a deep hole as they eventually dropped the set, 16-24.

The protagonists exchanged almost every point to start the second set. They were neck-and-neck up to the first technical timeout with La Salle leading, 8-7. Espejo’s error in his attack gave the Taft-based squad a 9-7 lead. However, Arjay Onia and Woo also committed errors on their end as Ateneo tied it at 9-all. The two teams continued to trade points as La Salle remained ahead at the second break, 16-15. The Green Spikers had a three-point lead, 18-15, before the Blue Eagles scored three consecutive.

With the set still tied at 21-all, Woo found an opening to the Katipunan-based squad’s floor defense. Onia followed it up with a block to put La Salle a 23-21 advantage. However, a service ace by Ron Medalla tied it at 23-all. An Ateneo service error put La Salle to set point, but Gian Glorioso extended the set, 24-all. The Blue Eagles sent the ball out on an attack as La Salle looked to close the set. However, the former scored three straight points to complete the comeback and steal Set 2 from La Salle, 28-26.

Ateneo started the final set with a 7-3 lead over La Salle. They were able to keep the lead as the Green Spikers trailed heading into the second technical timeout, 11-16. Espejo pushed their lead to six, 11-17. But, La Salle quickly gained back the momentum midway through the set. A block by Woo and an Ateneo error pulled them to within one, 16-17. Another rejection by Woo tied it, 18-all. Dumago kept the Green Spikers within striking distance with a crosscourt hit. However, Ateneo broke away, scored three consecutive points to win the set, 25-22, and the match. 3-0.

Espejo paced Ateneo with a game-high 21 points on 18 attacks and three serves. On the other hand, Woo and Onia led La Salle with 11 and 10 in the losing effort.

Green Spikers head coach Norman Miguel lamented his wards’ lack of mental preparation. “Hindi naging prepared mentally yung mga bata. Parang sobrang taas ng expectations nila sa Ateneo.” While he acknowledged that the Blue Eagles are the defending champions, he wanted the Green Spikers to put themselves at the same level as them. “Para sa akin, ang thinking mo dapat is magkalevel na lang kayo. Pantay lang.”

Nonetheless, he described this game as part of the process of maturity.

The loss placed the DLSU Green Spikers to 3-4, tied with UST at fourth place at the tail of the first round of the UAAP Season 80 Men’s Volleyball Tournament. They are currently on pace with their Final Four hopes.

Slowly we’re getting there. May mga lapses pa, pero ganun talaga. Kailangan pagdaanan yung mga ganun. Kasi kung hindi nila pagdadaanan yun, parang nandun ka lang sa dati. Walang growth.

Ngayon, nakikita ko na yung growth. Tiya-tiyagain mo na lang talaga.”

DLSU Green Spikers notch first win at the expense of UP Fighting Maroons

The De La Salle University Green Spikers defeated the UP Fighting Maroons in straight sets, 25-22, 25-23, 25-19, to get their first win of the season on Saturday at the Filoil Flying V Arena.

La Salle took control of the game early in the first set. Raymark Woo’s attack made it a 12-8 lead for the Green Spikers. JD Delos Reyes, who finished with six points, hit one from the middle to help his team maintain the lead. At the second technical timeout, the Green Spikers sit on a 16-14 advantage over the Fighting Maroons. The men from State U slowly clawed their way back into the game as they trailed La Salle by only one, 20-21. However, the former went on a roll initiated by Woo and Arjay Onia’s efforts to seal the first set.

The second set saw a neck-to-neck match between La Salle and UP as the latter carried momentum almost all throughout the period. The Fighting Maroons led early in the game, 5-2, with a block on JD Delos Reyes. An attack by Kieffer Reyes and a service ace by Woo tied the set at 6-all. But, UP answered with two straight points. After the first technical timeout, the Fighting Maroons fumbled a service. Then, they were called for a net violation as La Salle tied the set again, 8-all.

The set remained tied up to 12-all after Cris Dumago skied high for an attack. The walls of Taft and Diliman exchanged blocks as La Salle trailed, 14-15. Reyes, who rejected five UP attacks, effortlessly hit the ball to the other side to tie the set once more, at 20-all. Then, Reuel Asia aced a service as his team overtook UP late. The Green Spikers stole the set after Arjay Onia hit two thunderous spikes from the left.

The see-saw game continued in the third set as La Salle countered every attack by UP, and vice versa. The Green Spikers led, 3-1, following an error on the side of the Fighting Maroons. La Salle’s towering frontline of Reyes, Delos Reyes, and Wayne Marco became a problem for UP as the former scored on back-to-back denials. Regardless, the latter was able to tie the set at 9-all. The Fighting Maroons kept the set knotted heading into the second technical timeout. After the break, Reyes rejected UP to cap a 4-0 La Salle run that turned a 15-16 deficit to a 19-16 advantage. Subsequently, Onia found a hole in the defense of the Diliman-based squad and made them pay with an attack. Dumago finished UP with one of his seven attack points.

Onia led the Green Spikers again with 19 points on 17 spikes, while Woo added 10 points. On the other hand, John Mark Millette and Wendel Miguel contributed 14 and 12 points, respectively, for UP in the losing effort.

The DLSU Green Spikers will face the undefeated FEU Tamaraws on Wednesday, 4 PM at the same venue.

DLSU Green Spikers fall short against the UST Golden Spikers

The De La Salle University Green Spikers dropped their season opener against the University of Sto. Tomas Golden Spikers, 21-25, 16-25, 25-15, 25-23, 14-16, on Saturday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

The Green Spikers rallied from two sets down and forced a five-setter, but just fell short in the endgame.

The first set saw a close encounter between the protagonists. UST led throughout the set as La Salle could not break the two point margin. A block by the Green Spikers tied the set at 14, but the Golden Spikers scored two straight points heading into the second technical timeout. Raymark Woo bounced the ball off UST to pull La Salle back to within one. But the opponents brought themselves back up by four, 23-19. The Green Spikers drop Set 1, 21-25.

La Salle led UST heading into the first technical timeout of the second set, 8-7, after consecutive scores from JD Delos Reyes and Cris Dumago. However, the Golden Spikers countered with 5-1 run to take the lead, 12-9. They extended their lead to five, 16-11, before the break. A service error by UST cut La Salle’s deficit but Arjay Onia erred his own service, too. UST’s Joshua Umandal capitalized with an ace as their lead extends to seven, 19-12. The Green Spikers found the deficit to huge to overcome as they surrendered the set to the Golden Spikers, 16-25.

In the third set, however, La Salle started strong. Wayne Marco, Dumago, and Onia each connected as they take a 5-2 lead. Two straight blocks by Delos Reyes and Dumago along with a UST error pushed the lead to six, 8-2. Dumago’s ace and another block by the towering Delos Reyes and Marco extended La Salle’s lead to eight, 11-3. In the next play, Dumago hit another ace. La Salle led by nine, 15-6, heading into the second technical timeout. After that, Woo hit an attack, while Dumago got the ball to drop. The Green Spikers’ lead already ballooned to 14, 20-6. But, UST scored five straight points to cut it to nine, 11-20. Woo, on the other hand, answered with two aces that put La Salle to two points away from the set. Back-to-back hits by Onia earned the Green Spikers the set, 25-15.

Coach Norman Miguel’s squad opened the fourth set playing seesaw with their opponents. Onia attacked the defense of the Golden Spikers and cut the deficit to two, 9-11. Dumago scores on a spike as the Green Spikers tie the set at 15. With the team down by two, Woo found an opening to UST’s defense and sent the ball to the floor on one play. Then, he tied the set at 17 with a rejection. Umandal’s attack went out and La Salle took the lead at 20-19. A miscommunication on the part of the Espana-based squad pushed La Salle’s lead to two, 22-20. Onia’s attack went all net as UST tied the set to 23. However, a service error by Umandal gave La Salle the fourth set, 25-23.

The fifth set was again a close match between the two teams as Onia scores to tie it at 3. UST, however, scored three straight points to create a gap, 7-4. Woo kept La Salle within striking distance following an attack that bounced off a Golden Spiker. A huge block by the Green Spikers tied the set at 12. But UST answered with two straight points as they moved one point away from the match. Onia, though, did not give up. He carried La Salle with two straight attacks to extend the set. UST’s Medina gave his team a 15-14 lead, but Onia’s final attack went long.

Onia paced La Salle with 20 points, while Woo added 15 points. On the other hand, Umandal led UST with 21 points.

The DLSU Green Spikers will try to bounce back and earn their first win of the season against UP on Saturday, 10 AM at the Filoil Flying V Arena.