De La Salle just punched its ticket the hard way. The Lady Spikers outlasted defending champ National University in a five-set war, 27-25, 15-25, 23-25, 25-23, 15-13, Sunday night at MOA Arena, sealing an outright Finals berth in the UAAP Season 88 women’s volleyball tournament.
Down 1-2 in sets, La Salle refused to fold. Angel Canino, Amie Provido, and Shane Reterta helped steady the fourth-set comeback, but it was Shevana Laput who delivered the late-game punches in the decider—timely points, composed plays, and clutch execution even as the fifth set got stretched by challenges.
The win completes La Salle’s elimination round sweep and keeps them unbeaten at 14-0, sending them straight to the Finals while the rest of the contenders fight it out for the other slot via stepladder: NU (9-4), Adamson (9-5), and either UST (8-5) or FEU (7-6).
History note: this kind of Finals shortcut isn’t new for La Salle. The last time the Lady Spikers pulled off a similar sweep-and-advance feat was UAAP Season 76—but they didn’t finish the job that year. This time, they’ve earned the clearest path to redemption—and they’re entering the Finals spotless.
Image from UAAP Media