La Salle targets win No. 13

Games today:

(UST Quadricentennial Pavilion)

9 a.m. — UE vs La Salle (m)

11 a.m. — UE vs La Salle (w)

3 p.m. — Adamson vs UP (m)

5 p.m. — Adamson vs UP (w)

Two more wins and unbeaten De La Salle University advances straight to the finals of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88 women’s volleyball tournament.

Focus on that goal remains a top priority for the semifinals twice-to-beat-secured Lady Spikers despite facing a luckless University of the East (UE) in their second to the last elimination round assignment today at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Quadricentennial Pavilion.

La Salle rolled past its first 12 assignments, including a straight sets drubbing of Ateneo de Manila University, 25-13, 25-12, 25-18, last Sunday to maintain its dominance over its archrival for the 18th meeting in a row spanning nine years.

The No. 1 seed-assured Lady Spikers try to get win No. 13 at 11 a.m.and prime up for the much-anticipated showdown against three-peat-seeking National University to cap their elims run.

If La Salle takes down the Lady Warriors, the Lady Spikers-Lady Bulldogs rematch on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena will decide if there will be a regular Final Four or a stepladder semifinals.

Meanwhile, Adamson University shoots for at least a playoff for a semis berth against a back against the wall University of the Philippines (UP) side at 5 p.m.

Despite the obvious advantage in firepower and momentum, La Salle is not taking winless UE lightly, keeping in mind the constant reminder of decorated head coach Ramil de Jesus to always respect the team on the other side of the net.

“For us, that 12-0 in the standings, it’s just merely a number. We don’t want to put too much pressure on ourselves. But of course, the goal is to sweep the eliminations,” said La Salle’s Lilay del Castillo, whose been consistently providing offensive support to the veteran trio of Angel Canino, skipper Shevana Laput and Amie Provido.

“To ease the pressure, we just enjoy every game. Take it one game at a time and just play our game to get the result we want.”

The Lady Warriors have yet to win a game after 12 matches and are on a 26-game losing skid since last season. UE last topped La Salle back in the first round of Season 73 in 2010 when the Lady Spikers’ win over the Lady Warriors was forfeited due to an eligibility violation.

On the other hand, the Lady Falcons attempt to inch closer to a return to the Final Four after a three-year absence by claiming a second straight win after a 27-25, 25-20, 26-24, sweep of UST last Saturday.

Adamson is tied with idle Far Eastern University and the Golden Tigresses with a 7-5 slate in third to fifth behind semis-bound three-peat-seeking National University.

“We’ll focus on the UP game on Wednesday and take it one game at a time. We have two more games, so we need to work on that. I always tell my players that if we work hard enough, we’ll earn a reward. Wins won’t be given to us on a silver platter, so we have to earn them,” Lady Falcons head coach JP Yude said.

The Fighting Maroons, on the other hand, are barely keeping pace in the mad dash for the last two semis seats.

With a 5-7 mark in sixth spot, UP will need to win all its remaining games and hope that no two teams above it in the standings will reach eight wins for a long-shot chance of a playoff for the last semis seat.

In men’s play, La Salle seeks survival in the 9 a.m. match against also-ran UE.