La Salle weathers UST scare in extended marathon thriller

De La Salle University displayed incredible composure surviving a fourth set scare before outlasting University of Santo Tomas in a super extended decider to carve out an amazing, 22-25, 25-18, 14-25, 26-24, 26-24, escape for the last finals seat in the 2023 Shakey's Super League National Invitationals Friday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.

The reigning University Athletic Association of the Philippines champion refused to surrender to the feisty Tigresses in the knockout semifinal saving three match points in the fourth set and seven in the 32-minute deciding frame to catch the last bus ride to the best-of-three championship against Adamson University.

The Lady Spikers take on the Lady Falcons in the finals starting Wednesday.

Alleiah Malaluan and Shevana Laput shouldered most of the scoring load for La Salle but it was the Lady Spikers' nerves of steel and great resolve under tremendous pressure that spelled the difference in the match that took two hours and 23 minutes to be decided.

"Just like what I said before, it's a different ballgame in the semis. I just told them this morning to bring their A-game," La Salle assistant coach Noel Orcullo said as his wards won their fourth straight game despite surrendering sets for the first time in the tournament.

The deputy of head coach Ramil De Jesus rued that the Lady Spikers got a bit too eager as they committed quite a lot of errors – a total of 25 – mostly coming from the service line.

"I guess they got a bit pressured and a little too excited to show their A-Game. (They committed) mostly errors, especially in the service line. We just reminded them to show who they really are."

Malaluan scored 25 points including 20 attacks with her last kill sealing La Salle's trip to the finals. Incoming sophomore Laput had 23 markers including six aces while Thea Gagate fired 14 points she collected from 10 attacks, one ace and three kill blocks including a well-timed stoppage to push the Lady Spikers at the final match point advantage.

La Salle squandered a 5-1 start in the fifth set, allowing UST behind rookie Angeline Poyos to knot the score at 10. The Lady Spikers moved at match point, 14-13, after a Laput kill but Regina Jurado was there to force the first of the two rivals' 10 deuces.

Poyos gave the Tigresses their last taste of the lead, 24-23, before Malaluan tied it at 24 with a crosscourt kill.

La Salle was pushed to the brink of missing the finals with UST taking a 24-21 match point advantage in the fourth set after a 1-2 play by setter Cassie Carballo. The Lady Spikers answered with a cold-blooded 5-0 shocker capped by a Malaluan attack to force the decider.

Poyos uncorked a game-high 29 points with nine coming in the fifth set albeit in a lost cause to UST, which suffered the same fate at the hands of La Salle in the UAAP Season 85 Final Four.

Jurado got 25 markers while Jonna Perdido had nine markers for the Tigresses, who will lock horns with University of Perpetual Help System Dalta in the battle for bronze.