UP upsets La Salle, UST remains unbeaten
By Anthony Divinagracia
13 December 2009 10:18 AM
University of the Philippines (UP) weathered a late comeback by De La Salle University to fashion out a pulsating 25-18, 25-23, 23-25, 28-30, 15-11 squeaker in the 72nd UAAP men’s volleyball tournament yesterday at the Ateneo Blue Eagle gym.
The cardiac win improved UP’s record to 2-1 while La Salle absorbed its second defeat in three games.
“We had a little difficulty executing our plays in the latter part of the game. We couldn’t match La Salle’s firepower point-for-point with poor execution so we changed our gameplan by rotating the whole team on offense and having three attackers to stop their top spiker,” UP coach Vip Isada said.
And the Maroons’ gamble paid off as La Salle main man Chris Macasaet, who topscored for the Archers with 26 point, including 23 attacks, was limited to only three hits in the decisive fifth set where UP built a commanding 10-5 lead on back-to-back kills by Mark Sagad.
La Salle sliced the deficit to only two on rookie John Dela Vega’s crosscourt smash but another Sagad kill and a Lloyd Belgado block sandwiched a lifting violation by the Archers which restored the UP advantage back to five, 13-8.
But the Archers desperately hung on as Justin Mariano fired a kill and Macasaet rifled a pair of open attacks to push La Salle within, 11-13. Yet La Salle’s blockers missed a token denial of a Samuel Paquiz crosscourt foray, allowing UP to clinch matchpoint before reliever Lance Valenzona settled the outcome with an ace.
Michael Arda top-scored for UP with 20 attack points while Sagad and Dominico Lucindo added 13 each. The Maroons seized early control of the game, dominating the first two sets before La Salle went on redemption mode to force a winner-take-all fifth set.
La Salle scored the last four points of the third frame to erase a 21-23 UP margin before out-steadying the Maroons in the fourth canto.
The Archers engaged the Maroons in a nip-and-tuck affair until the 28-all mark which saw La Salle break away for good on Dela Vega’s placing and Samuel Lubi and Jason Alejandro’s two-man block.
In the curtain-raiser, defending champion UST extended its winning streak to 21 games as it pulled off a come-from-behind 19-25, 19-25, 25-18, 25-22, 15-10 victory over Ateneo de Manila University.
John Paul Torres paced UST with 18 points anchored on 15 attacks and two blocks while rookie Salvador Depante chipped in 15 and Hendry Pecaña and Jayson Ramos had 12 apiece.
Ateneo drew strength from the 18-point output of Andre Pareja.
Meanwhile, University of the East swept traditional men’s volleyball powerhouse Far Eastern University (FEU), 25-15, 26-24, 27-25 in the second game behind the combined 37-point performance of Dominic Estrada, Benchard Pedrano, and Homer Lauresta.
Nester Molaste led FEU with seven hits.
In the fourth game, National University clinched its first win by disposing Adamson University, 16-25, 25-18, 25-20, 25-15.
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