La Salle boosted its stock heading into the UAAP season by crowning itself as the first Shakey’ Super League (SSL) National Invitationals champion.
Displaying the form that enabled them to regain the UAAP crown last May, the La Salle Lady Spikers demolished the Adamson Lady Falcons, 25-19, 25-22, 25-17, in the sudden death before their cheering supporters at theFiloil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
It was another masterclass for the on-target Lady Spikers, shooting down the Lady Falcons in only 89 minutes of play to pull off a reverse sweep in the best-of-three titular showdown.
La Salle absorbed a five-setter heartbreaker in Game 1, 25-22, 17-25, 25-17, 25-27, 14-16, but equalized with a 25-23, 25-12, 25-18 victory in Game 2 that only set the stage for another dominant showing in the winner-take-all match behind a slew of contributors.
Tournament MVP Shevana Laput unloaded 13 points on 11 hits and two blocks to lead four players in double digits as La Salle expanded its kingdom to the SSL.
She averaged 20.3 points in the finals highlighted by a 30-point eruption in Game 1 before putting up 18 in Game 2.
Thea Gagate (1st Middle Blocker), Amie Provido (2nd Best Middle Blocker) and Alleiah Malaluan (2nd Best Outside Hitter) chipped in 10 points apiece in La Salle’s supremacy in the 12-team SSL nationwide tourney presented by Eurotel as the official hotel and Victory Liner as office transport provider, and in cooperation with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
“Sa amin, exposure ang hanap namin dito pero ito bonus na nag-champion. Maganda kasi kahit paano, nakita namin ‘yung mga kulang pa at kailangang i-adjust pagdating ng UAAP,” said assistant coach Noel Orcullo.
The win was extra sweeter for the Lady Spikers reigned supreme even without UAAP Rookie-MVP Angel Canino.
Trailing by 8-11 early in the first set, La Salle uncorked a 10-1 barrage capped by a Gagate block to take command at 18-12 and eventually bagged a 25-19 win that served as its stepping stone for a rousing second set start by leading as many as 11 points.
Building a massive 18-7 separation off a Laput hit, the Lady Spikers nearly crumbled to the Lady Falcons’ 15-5 uprising for only a 23-22 cushion following a Malaluan error before Provido hammered one down and Gagate put on a single block to rescue them with a narrow 25-22 win.
La Salle was never threatened from there on, getting off to the races with a red-hot 9-4 start en route to claiming the crown.
